


In the Time of Daffodils

by hollie443



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternative Universe - Greek Mythology, F/M, Hades and Persephone, History, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Retelling, Reylo - Freeform, Soulmates, archeologist, archeology au, persephone and hades au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2020-02-26 20:13:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18724147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollie443/pseuds/hollie443
Summary: "Falling in love with a god is not a death sentence.The story is only a tragedy if the god loves you back."Everything is about to change for Rey, an archeologist, as she arrives in Greece to work on an excavation site. She, along with her two best friends Finn and Poe, is at the forefront of great discoveries and has a clear shot at making a name for herself.But everything she hopes for is at risk of being thrown to the wind when she starts experiencing visions of a past life... one she scarcely can believe. As the deja vu begins to work its way to a head, she begins to find herself wondering; is the past coming to claim her?Disclaimer: This story was planned out long before the release of TROS and its plan was in no way influenced by the release





	1. Chapter 1

The plane touched the tarmac and jolted Rey awake from her half slumber, half daydream. Her brows creased together as her discombobulated thoughts began to place themselves into the correct position in her mind, bringing her back to reality. _Ah,_ she thought to herself as she surveyed the area, _the flight_ . For nearly ten hours, she had been stuck in a cramped space with two court _jesters_ next to her, who thought it was funny to continually make ridiculous commentary of anything she had chosen to watch in the in-flight entertainment system. But, finally, they had arrived in Athens and she would soon be freed from the metal cage that had incarcerated her. After a moment’s pause, she stretched out her long legs as far as the seat in front of her would allow.

“Hey Finn, look! Sleeping Beauty has finally been roused from her long slumber. I was beginning to think one of us was going to have to take one for the team and act as the prince to wake her,” the voice, louder than Rey was sure it needed to be, sounded off next to her, making her roll her eyes and send a scowl in his direction.

“Well, I would have volunteered as tribute Poe,” came the quip from Finn, making them both dissolve into a fit of what could only have been described as _giggles._ And from two grown men no less. Both of them had the brunette sagging back into her chair and silently asking the universe why the hell she had decided sitting next to complete strangers wasn’t the best option.

“Well, I hear you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, and there is no prince in sight,” she shot back at them, giving as good as she got. As though they were in complete mental synchronisation, they acted as though she had shot them both through the heart, writhing in pain.

A laugh came from Rey’s lips despite herself as she watched their antics get more and more dramatic with the passing seconds. Though they were total wind-up merchants, she loved both of them in equal measure, sometimes feeling as though she didn’t line up correctly unless they were all together.

It had taken a long time for the girl to feel like that; her upbringing had been turbulent to say the least. Or at least for a while it had been- and it had been enough to make it difficult for her to form any real relationships. Her father was only her father due to the fact he had gotten her mother pregnant.  After that, he had practically rode off into the sunset without so much as a glance behind him. So, she supposed _sperm donor_ was a far better title; at least since _complete asshole_ was sometimes not appropriate in polite company. But her mother had genuinely believed he had loved her and Rey remembered, even when she was only eight or so, how her mother had spoken about being a hopeless romantic. How she still wished he would come back. Now, in retrospect, Rey thought it was somewhat sad… like it was something taken straight from _Les Miserables_ , which in her eyes was _not_ a compliment. It probably was what had led to her becoming an emotional cemetery in the romantic department. But it wasn’t like she could take the issue up with her mother, tell her all of this, since she had passed away when Rey was just nine. 

Fast forward through several years of her being in the system, when she had eventually been adopted by an American family at fourteen and ended up moving to America with them; the reason for her dual nationality and odd transatlantic accent, which was a conversation topic, much to her disdain. But despite the fact she felt as though she had been torn from her homeland… torn from the memories of her mother whose ashes had been scattered to the winds, it ended up being good for her. She earned her place in Yale University on a scholarship to study Archeological Studies, a passion her mother had set alight in her from all her stories of the Greek myths and legends. A passion she still had to this day. It was her education that lead her to Finn. On her very first day as a lost student, feeling very out of her depth, she had met him and it was like they had always been friends… like the planets had aligned to allow for their friendship. And just like that, they were thick as thieves, ready to take on the archeological world together. 

“Man, I can’t wait to drink enough Ouzo, I won’t be able to see straight,” Poe’s voice pulled Rey from her thoughts.  He received a snort in response from her.

“What, and is that any different from a Tuesday for you?” she asked, jesting with him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. The remark earned a mock gasp from Poe.  He held his hand to his heart as he turned to Finn, who was simply chuckling away to himself.

“Finn, we gotta all get off this damn plane before I need to get treatment for third degree burns caused by this chick next to me,” he almost whined, earning a shake of Rey’s head in the process as she turned back to the window, looking out at the moving ground of the airport runway. 

She hadn’t known Poe for half the time she had known Finn.  However, when they had met the head of site security for Luke’s digs, it went from she and Finn being the Dynamic Duo to the three of them being some sort of recreation of the Three Musketeers. They seemed to have trouble following them wherever they went in one way, shape or form, often earning reprimands from Luke who didn’t approve.  But Rey wouldn’t have it any other way. She felt like she finally had found a place… or at least a place she _should_ feel she belonged. But in the lead up to their job in Greece, she felt things had changed in her. 

It had started as a niggling; like the feeling you’ve forgotten something but not sure what. Then in the last week it had increased to restlessness, like she didn’t belong.  She hadn’t brought it up with Finn or Poe because she wasn’t exactly sure how to explain to them. Hell, she wasn’t sure how to explain it to _herself_ . Only that she felt as though she was being pulled in a direction, and she didn’t belong where she was. How exactly _could_ she explain to her two closest friends who she felt had given her a sense of belonging, that she felt she _didn’t_ belong anymore? It was a question she couldn’t answer. The only way she could think to describe how she felt was the feeling of nearly finishing a puzzle, so very close to completion, only to realise the final piece was missing. That sort of feeling of incompletion; it would never feel right until the piece was found. _That’s_ how she felt.  Only, the missing part wasn’t just in another box, it was out there somewhere, reaching out, calling her almost like a pulse: _Rey… Rey… Rey…_

“REY!” a raised, irritated voice made her practically jump out of her seat at the sheer abruptness of it. She snapped her head around to find its source, and met with a pair of older blue eyes glaring down at her from the aisle. Luke.

“Jesus Christ, what?!” she half growled, unimpressed at his method for rousing her from her thoughts. She glanced to the side of her, realising that both Finn and Poe had already made their exits, no doubt keen to get out of the cramped conditions on board. She had heard none of it… which possibly explained the animosity in Luke’s voice.

“I said your name three times and nothing. You were off on planet Zog yet again. Let’s go before I reconsider your promotion.”  His threat earned a glower from Rey as she hastened to pick up her bag from under the seat in front of her. After yanking down her big backpack from the overhead locker, she followed Luke down the aisle, agitation whirling around her as she walked.

But that had become commonplace since she met him in her first year at Yale. He picked her out, decided he would mentor her; his _chosen one_ in a way. Which wasn’t something she had exactly enjoyed in her years of being there. She never would want to come across as ungrateful for his mentoring, since she knew how lucky she was to be taught by one of the world’s leading archeologists. She would never snub that, because he was the reason she was stepping off this plane in Athens, Greece for the opportunity of a lifetime.  Especially for a twenty-five year old. _But_ he was also the reason for many a near-mental-breakdown, which had caused more than a little resentment towards him to say the least.

He was a serious man, rarely one to crack a smile unless it was a grimace and he would mostly spend time alone to go over whatever artefacts were found on each dig. A perfectionist, he expected perfection from everyone around him; sometimes it seemed to fall on Rey.

Over the course of the years since she graduated, she would join the excavations, expecting to be the archaeologist she had graduated as. But no. No, she was a cataloger; a _bagger and tagger_ as she liked to call it, whereas Finn was part of the archeological team from the get-go.  She held no resentment towards her best friend since it wasn’t his fault. But the fact she had graduated top of the class and her reward was being told to catalog finds?  It was a decision she took with great aggravation and disdain. Rey’s hard work finally seemed to have paid off when he promoted her up to a site archeologist but, _goddamn it,_ he never stopped reminding her about it.

So, it took everything in her British sarcastic brain not to give him a sarky reply, knowing full well the first thing he would do would be to leave her ass in the U.S.

With a bit of a grumble, she descended the stairway to the ground, a sight she was glad to meet. Poe and Finn both were standing there waiting for her, both with somewhat perplexed looks when they saw the figurative thundercloud above her head. They knew exactly what caused a shift in her mood like that. She simply dismissed their concern with a swift shake of her head, as though she was daring them to comment and heighten her already increasing ill temper.

As soon as one of her combat boot clad feet hit the tarmac, she felt an odd wave of calm fall over her, which only intensified as she walked out from the shadow of the plane and into the late August sun. The background noise of her best friends’ chattering, the noise of the engines and buzzing of insects quieted. There was a sharp intake of breath as she tried quickly to come to grips with the sensation, closing her eyes for moment. It was the strangest feeling, like the niggling at the back of her mind she had been experiencing for the past few months was both subsiding _and_ becoming more prominent. A quick shake of her head brought her back into reality.  She was determined not to give Luke any more cause to reprimand her, and increased her pace to catch up with the rest of the group.

The rest of their journey through the airport passed without incident. Luckily, she had chosen just to travel with carry-on luggage.  So, she took the time the others were waiting for their checked baggage to get some air outside, ensuring she was at the van before Luke in order to quell at least one instance of complaining from him. The peace luckily lasted the entire trip back to the hotel.  After almost ten hours on a plane and another couple to get to the hotel, she was looking forward to relaxing before it would all kick off tomorrow.

“Okay listen up guys,” Luke’s voice travelled down from the front of the van as they came to a stop in front of their hotel. “Since it’s only mid-afternoon, you’re going to drop your stuff off in your rooms and meet me back here in fifteen minutes; we’re going to take a tour of the site”.

The stunned silence was almost deafening as everyone balked at the idea, exhaustion apparent on their faces. But no one dared to protest and Rey certainly wasn’t going to be the one to break the pattern, since he was getting harder on her lately. She’d probably be made to walk the entire way if she spoke up.

Sure as guns, everyone was back out on time and waiting for Luke to reappear. Rey had barely even had time to inspect her room; she had just dropped her bags and headed back out, hoping to god there was at least hot water. Not even Finn or Poe had much to say as they climbed into the van which, if anything, was a clear indication of the collective morale.  They were all sleep-deprived site employees who, if she was anything to go by, were just desperate for a bath. And the fact Luke came out of the hotel _later_ than what he had told everyone else, was enough to raise Rey’s hackles.

 _Practice what you preach,_ she thought to herself as she buckled up, knowing the terrain would get more and more uneven as the road switched to single track.

The journey wasn’t anywhere near as long as she had expected as they pulled up at the site entrance; it was probably an hour’s walk from town if she gauged it correctly, which was good to know since she often enjoyed an evening walk. 

She took a sip of the water she’d picked up from the hotel’s reception desk before standing up and heading out.

The elegant figure who was waiting for them elevated Rey’s mood immediately, and she pushed quickly past her friends to meet with her warm embrace.

“Leia, I’ve missed you,” she mumbled into the hug they were sharing. Despite not seeing her face, she could tell the older woman was smiling.

“And I’ve missed you too,” came the response, making the younger of the two give another squeeze, as though to remind herself she had some backup when it came to her mentor.

Leia had always been more encouraging with Rey; she was the one who, whenever she visited her brother, would sit with the young girl and entice her out of her shell, make her believe she was worth the gift Luke had given her.  Leia was the director of the British Museum _and_ had her own company, Alderaan Enterprises, which specialised in the funding of digs. So it often meant she was out of the country, which made Rey cherish their meetings all the more since she wasn’t sure when they would next see each other.

“You’re here for the dig?” Rey found herself asking as she stepped back, ignoring the fact  Luke’s eyes were probably burning into the back of her head. If she was honest, she didn’t really care since, if she was forced to pick a favourite, it would Leia. No doubt about it.

“I’ve been here for weeks,” the older woman replied, gesturing over her shoulder with a soft smile. Rey obediently followed her line of direction, eyes falling on the seemingly huge excavation that had been underway previously. “The previous crew left a few days ago. Once I knew Luke would be able to put a team together, I decided to have him take over”.

One thing Rey had always appreciated about Leia was her honesty.  She was nearly always up front with her about questions she had and, the times she wasn’t, she usually had a good reason. Luke on the other hand… Rey was sure he just kept things from her to simply be difficult.

The sound of her mentor clearing his throat immediately made her take another step back, coming back in line with Finn.  He shot her a big smile, clearly happy to see her mood was on the mend after seeing Leia. She found herself looking around when she realised she couldn’t see Poe.  Finn, sensing where her mind was going, leaned over to her.

“He’s gone with the rest of the security team,” his voice was low, almost raspy as he whispered in her ear.

All Rey did was nod in response, as Leia stepped forward to address the group with Luke and a tiny woman with jam jar glasses on either side of her. The woman seemed to have her attention caught by something in the distance, but she immediately turned her head when Leia’s voice cut through the air.

“Welcome everyone, I thank you all for being here; I won’t keep you too long since I know you’ll all be desperate to be horizontal for a few hours. Most of you know who I am but for those who don’t: I’m Leia Organa, sister to your boss who’s the head archeologist here; Luke.”  She paused for only a second before turning to the miniscule woman next to her, “This is Maz Kanata; she is our liaison with the Greek officials and she’s also a historian, so she’ll be able to lend us a fresh set of eyes. Feel free to ask her any questions when she’s around the site. Now, take a look around with us at your leisure before you head back… get your bearings.”

By the time Leia had stopped speaking, Rey had begun to feel a similar feeling to the niggling she had once experienced, except this time it was a _pull._ Her eyes moved over the rest of the excavation site, the slope they were standing on providing a great vantage point. A frown moved over her face as she focused on a large fence that was running along the entire site, separating what appeared to have once been a meadow and the rest of site. But now, it just lay in dust, a desert without any life; the only remnants of life a dead tree in the distance. 

She found herself wondering what the place would have looked like before… before the desert took hold and sucked the life from the area. Would the tree have been a place to rest? Laying in the grass, her head resting on a- Rey’s eyes widened, feeling as though she was no longer simply letting her thoughts wander… instead, she felt as though she was recalling a memory from deep within her. The realisation sent a shiver down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, almost as though someone was watching her.

She took a hesitant step back, yelping as she collided with a body behind her, whirling around to find the source. Luke stared back at her, one of his eyebrows moving slowly up towards his hairline. Rey swallowed thickly, thinking of how she could possibly shift the attention from her jittery antics.

“What purpose does the fence serve?” she found herself asking him, without thinking, knowing it probably wasn’t the line of questioning she should have opted for.

“None of your concern.  You need to focus with what’s _inside_ the fence,” Luke reprimanded, but something in Rey made her surge on regardless, feeling as though something else was driving her to continue the interrogation.

“ _Inside_ the fence? So there’s something _outside_?” she countered, her own eyebrows shooting up. There was a flash of something in Luke’s eyes before the colour on his face began to shift.

“Rey…” he started, his voice low and filled with warning, but it only made Rey’s eyes narrow at him as he once again cut her out of whatever seemed to be going on. Instead of carrying on the argument, she threw her hands up in mock surrender and stalked off in the opposite direction of where most people were headed. His constant barrage of making her feel as though she wasn’t good enough began to be too much for her.

It took her a moment to realise she was no longer just she stomping off but walking somewhere with purpose, like she knew exactly where she was going.

The wind picked up as she came to a stop in front of a set of stairs, some brunette tendrils pulling free from her bun and blowing over her face as she stood there. Rey haphazardly pushed the loose hair behind her ears, pushing the balls of her feet off the ground and ascending the stairs towards the temple which lay in ruins. She felt it again; the same sensation she had when she stepped off the plane… the feeling of everything around her melting into silence with only her breathing for company.

When her feet finally made contact with the flat surface of the sun-bleached tiles, she stopped for pause, sucking in a breath as an unusual awareness washed over her. Like deja vu… like she had been there before. There was a tightness growing in her chest, which felt like longing, like nostalgia. Except she had no idea why; she had no idea why she felt as though she knew a place she had never set foot in before. She couldn’t even begin to explain how she knew who’s temple this was or how she knew exactly where to go to reach it.

_My sweet girl…_

The voice, sounding almost strangled with pain, drifted through the air as though it was only the wind that carried the noise.  But Rey had heard it as clear as day, and the tightness she felt in her chest was now being replaced with panic.

“Looking for something?” the unfamiliar voice brought Rey out of her dreamlike state, making her wheel around.  Immediately, she crashed into the source. It was the tiny woman with the jam jar glasses; Maz.

“I… uh… what?” the stutter was clear on Rey’s tongue as she took a step back and stared down at the woman; her eyes still a little too wide to make any attempt to show nonchalance.

“Do you know where we are?” the line of questioning changed so fast the younger girl had no real idea where this was going, but she was too out of sorts really to make anything of it.

“Demeter’s temple.”  The shock of Rey’s own answer was bad enough, but worse still was the fact she answered it without any hesitation, like Maz had asked her if she knew they were standing in a 7/11. As though the girl wasn’t already feeling stress, the fact that Maz didn’t even look surprised was cause for even more alarm.   Rey took another step back.

“All will become clear, Little One.”  Maz’s voice was soothing, and not at all like the tone expected from a woman who should be plotting to lock Rey up for losing her marbles. Had Rey been more aware, she would have found fault in the pet name; considering the older woman was probably about a foot shorter than even her five foot seven frame. Instead, she continued to retreat towards the staircase.

“I’m sorry, I don’t feel so well.”  Rey’s excuse was about as mediocre as they came, but Rey didn’t pause to listen for Maz’s response.  She turned on her heels and ran down the stairs, taking two at a time until she reached the bottom. For someone who was “coming down” with something, she jogged at an unusually fast pace.  She stormed by anyone who was getting ready to approach her, using excuses of feeling unwell, and clambered into the very back of the van. When those same people she had stormed past entered the van, Rey ignored them. The only moment she paused from her own thoughts was when she give Leia a small wave, before the van sped down the road back to town.

They came to a stop at the hotel, everyone heading into the dining room to prepare for dinner. Rey however, lagged behind, feeling as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

“Rey? You okay? You haven’t been yourself since you wandered off at the site.”  Finn’s comforting hand found one of the weighted shoulders in question, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

“Yeah, yeah… I just need to get some sleep. I’m going to skip dinner but I’ll see you in the morning,” she assured him, giving him a quick hug as her dismissal and quickly made her way up the stairs before he could question her any further. She didn’t even know how she would explain the feelings she had without sounding as though she’d completely lost the plot, so she figured it was best to say nothing.

There was hardly any energy left in her to actually focus on unpacking her things from her backpack, but she willed herself to at least pull everything out so she knew where everything was. But, with Rey being a bit of a perfectionist, everything ended up folded and put away or hung up.

It was a nice hotel room, Rey decided as she walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take down her hair; it was a decent size and, in addition to the shower, there was a bathtub for soaks she’d most likely need after long days at the dig. But, for tonight, Rey had a splash-and-dash shower, far too eager to get into the bed than to enjoy the sensation of water.

Soon enough, the young woman was climbing onto the bed, her heavy lids winning out within a few moments as she drifted off into a long awaited slumber.

 

\---------------------------------------

 

_Darkness surrounded Rey as she looked around, her eyes straining for any sign of movement in the black. The sun seemed to cut through a crack in the ceiling above her, shining directly to her hand where a sight of bright, cheerful yellow waited for her. A daffodil rested gently there, as though it always had been. Slowly she lifted the flower to her nose, inhaling the scent as she looked around again._

_But as she looked back and forth, the light from above extended further into the cave, and her eyes moved to follow it. It was only a second but something caught her attention, making her do a double-take and turn her head back to the source. Black smoke curled around the light.  Her eyes remained fixed on it as it travelled across the expanse of the cave. Rey felt as though she should have been alarmed as she watched it begin to swirl around but she wasn’t. She just watched on as it formed a figure in the shadows, stretching out a hand towards her._  

_“Come home…” it whispered to her._

  _Fear once again should have take taken hold but instead this version of herself stepped forward, her hand outstretched as though to reach for him, to reach for the voice that was calling her home. But just as the mysterious hand was but millimeters away, there was a rumble from above, making her wheel away and drop her daffodil out of fright. A scream that did not belong to her rang out as the sky above her darkened ominously, a rumble of thunder rolling along the sky._

_CRASH._

 

\-----------------------------------

 

Rey woke with a start and bolted upright, the crash echoing around her room as though the dream had followed her. The hand that had at one point been clutching the daffodil was now pressed to her chest.  She felt the hammer of her heart against it. She used her free hand to lean over and flick on the bedside lamp, her eyes darting around to find the source of the noise that had travelled with her from the dreamworld. A sigh of relief left her lips when she noticed the big book of _Greek Myths and Legends_ , one of her favourite possessions from her birth-mother, lying on the floor.  It clearly had been knocked off in her sleep.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Rey muttered to herself as she checked the digital clock next to her. 04:30. A soft groan of displeasure escaped from her mouth as she pulled back the duvet, letting her feet sink into the soft carpet. She walked to the bathroom, deciding against going back to sleep, telling herself it was better to have a long shower and an early breakfast. Truth be told, she was terrified of going back to rest and having another nightmare.

She chugged back two glasses of ice cold water, the memory of the dream still clawing at her mind. She kept referring to it as a nightmare but, in reality, there had been no fear within her until the very end when the sky blackened, when the soft sounds and the seemingly welcoming figure with the outstretched hand was replaced by a blood curdling scream and the crash of thunder.

 _I’m really going mad_ , she thought to herself. It was the only thing that made sense with how she was feeling. All of these emotions and the dreams could _only_ mean she was losing her marbles. Nothing else was really an option… nothing else was believable.

 

\------------------------------------

 

Finn and Poe found Rey sitting in the lobby of the hotel just after seven thirty. The magazine in her hands was in English and had been provided by a kind waitress who had also brought over her second espresso of the morning and a complimentary croissant.

“My God, Rey, since when do you rise before the sun?” Poe teased her as he plopped himself down next to her on the sofa while Finn took the armchair. The comment didn’t earn him the usual sarky comment.  Instead, she lifted her shoulders into a shrug, not saying anything to begin with. The reaction had both the boys exchanging a glance between each other; one of concern and confusion in equal measure. 

“Hey… Chick, if something is bothering you, you know you can tell us right? We’re here to look out for you, so if something is upsetting you then we’d like to know. Is it Luke? Is he being a dick to you again?” Finn’s voice was filled with worry as he looked at her.

“No, no, Finn… I’m fine, nothing is bothering me, it’s just the jet lag is really getting to me more than I’m prepared to admit.”  It, of course, wasn’t true. The girl could literally sleep on a bed of nails, so the idea she would struggle to sleep just because of a timezone change was unprecedented. But she offered them both a smile of reassurance, hiding the fact she felt a sense of foreboding in the pit of her stomach. The only thing was she couldn’t decide if it was foreboding for herself or for something else entirely… the thought alone scared her.

“Well regardless, if he makes you cry, I won’t be responsible for my actions,” Poe’s voice broke through her thoughts in a rare show of sincerity that wasn’t masked by jest or teasing. So, instead of giving him a cheeky answer, Rey simply gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow and kiss to his cheek before standing up again.

“I’m going to get some fresh air while you guys eat breakfast; I ate when I came downstairs and if I have anymore coffee I’ll take off into the stratosphere.”  The chuckle was almost forced but it appeared to be enough for her two best friends to feel a little more at ease, or at least _enough_ to feel as though they could leave her alone to get some breakfast of their own.

It didn’t take long for everyone to start congregating outside as they waited for Luke to appear and they could get to work. When he finally did appear, Rey simply nodded a good morning in his direction before getting into the van, content with avoiding any sort of confrontation with him with regards to yesterday or even something he wanted to pick a fight about today. A soft sigh left her lips, a wave of guilt moving over her as she realised she was probably being a little too harsh on her mentor; he usually had a reason for the things he said. Perhaps it was just her irritability that made her all the more agitated by him. Nonetheless, she decided she wasn’t prepared to actually _make_ conversation, so she stayed where she was, happy to stare out of the window in silence as they made their way back to the place that had sent her head spinning in the first place. 

Rey felt a surge of determination as the van passed through the gates and into the dig site. After her _performance_ yesterday, managing to look like a total moron in front of all three of the big overseers, she was determined to make a good impression today. To make sure Luke at least didn’t fully regret promoting her and bringing her on this trip. She felt a resurgence of a need to remind him she had graduated top of her class for a reason. 

Leia’s signature warm smile was waiting for the team as they arrived and Rey returned it as she headed over to the chart to find out what plot she was working today, hoping to simply pick up her tools and get started. She was busy searching out her own toolkit when she became aware someone was standing beside her, eyes following her every move.

“Good morning Little One,” the familiar voice greeted Rey as she pulled herself up from her crouch, her kit in hand. It was Maz; the woman who she felt had burned right into her soul just yesterday. But she decided to simply act as though it had never happened.

“Morning Maz, I’m just heading down to my plot,” she said and gave as cool a smile as she could, feigning innocence as best as she was able. But the woman didn’t move on to the others working the dig.

“How did you sleep last night?”  The question nearly made Rey drop her toolkit, especially given what a turbulent night she experienced. Her mouth was slightly slack, her brain unable to formulate a satisfactory response in this short a time. Instead, she took a hesitant step in the direction of her plot and shrugged.

“Jet lag has been a killer,” was the only half-response Rey could muster before jabbing her thumb in the direction of her plot.  She couldn’t force her tongue to muster anything else as she turned, half running down the hill to her destination. Another surprise came when Maz didn’t try to coax any more from the girl.  Instead, she watched Rey kick up the dust as she hastily walked away, a small knowing smile on Maz’s lips.

The plot selected for Rey was a little out of the way from the rest of them, closer to the ugly wired fencing that separated them from the rest of the meadow.

_Meadow…_

She wasn’t sure why she kept using that word for it since it was just a dusty expanse now; a desert. She scanned it for any signs of life like she had the day previous but, still, the dead tree in the distance was the only homage to what once had been. Regardless, she couldn’t help but imagine luscious grass, imagine running her fingers along the flowers, making crowns out of them. She huffed out some air, shaking the image from her mind, stepping down into the pit which had been started by the team previously, preparing her tools before crouching down and beginning her work.

 

\--------------------------------------

 

The minutes turned into hours as she worked over the plot. Rey had found numerous pieces of pottery, an object she believed was a buckle of some description, but nothing was really _that_ interesting by the standards of where they were. She had read about the excavation when Luke had told them about their new project. This place was believed to have been close to the mythological Mount Olympus, so there was reason to believe temples and treasures rested here for thousands of years. The way Rey looked at this place was as an opportunity to really make a name for herself, instead of constantly just being the protege of Luke “Skywalker” Organa. His infamous nickname came from the discovery of a temple in Bolivia, the name of which translated roughly as _to walk among the skies._

The young woman was carefully sifting through the dirt when she heard footsteps, making her look up, a smile crossing her face as she was greeted with the sight of Finn.

“Hey Chick, lunch is being served. You coming?”  His mood was clearly lifted when he saw Rey in a far better mood than the melancholy one she had previously been weighted with.

“I’m actually going to finish up here and then I’ll head up,” she replied, smiling reassuringly when she saw his face fall slightly.  “Don’t worry, I just want to keep Luke off my back a little longer and if that means postponing, then so be it. Save me some lunch?”

The realisation Rey was still thinking with her stomach made a chuckle split his face and he nodded in agreement.

“Can’t have you going too hungry. Hangry Rey is never good for anyone.”  His joke brought out one of her signature eyerolls before her shoulders bounced, demonstrating the intent to make her laugh had hit home.

“Get out of here before I throw dirt at you.”  The empty threat was met with a grin and Finn backed away, as though intimidated, before he turned on his heels and jogged up the hill to the main camp.

Rey shook her head, chuckling to herself as she went back to work, using her fingers to crush some of the dry clumps of dirt. She could feel the beads of sweat trickling down the back of her neck from the midday sun.  It was hot… probably too hot to be working through lunch, but the need to not socialise with everyone else was high. Her mind was scrambled from the events of yesterday and, knowing Maz would be up here, she felt it was a better idea to keep her distance.

Suddenly, Rey felt the hairs on her arms begin to stand up.  It was enough to bring her out of her work trance, making her raise herself up out of the pit like some sort of meerkat. It was the same feeling she had yesterday; like someone was watching her. Her hazel hues scanned her immediate area, tracing up the hill to where she knew camp was. No one. Not even Maz looking down at her like she had suspected. Another quick glance over the mead- _desert_ had her doing a double-take.

_No… surely not._

 Rey actually squeezed her eyes closed and reopened them to ensure she wasn’t just going delirious in the Grecian heat.

It was still there. A daffodil, a single daffodil, swaying in the light breeze. It was impossible to mistake the yellow blur for anything else. She knew it hadn’t been there before, she _knew_ it. Yesterday, when she had scanned the area, it hadn’t been there.  And, today as she came down to work, it still _hadn’t_ been there. But now, there it was, beckoning to her, calling her to it. Rey swallowed thickly as a realisation hit her; it was a daffodil she had been holding in her dream.

She knew she should just ignore it.  She should just make her way up to the lunch tent and chow something down to keep her mind from the fact she was going insane. But her eyes were scanning over the fence again, finding a break she didn’t remember seeing earlier either. It was enough to move her, hoisting her body out of the pit, swinging her legs around to push herself up. After another quick glance over her shoulder to ensure no one was in view, she made her way over to the fence and crouched down to slide through.

As her feet carried themselves over the desert terrain, she felt as though she had no real choice in the matter, like her body was on autopilot. Like she knew the way. It almost felt as though she had walked this path before. Though, Rey quickened her pace, not wanting Luke or _anyone_ to find she had ignored the fence and done as she pleased.

The walk to the flower had perhaps only been a minute or two but anticipation was making it seem like far longer. That was until she found herself right in front of it. Sure enough it was just a daffodil. But it wasn’t so much the flower itself that was sending her mind into a spin.  It was the fact it was _there._ Rey had always known daffodils to be delicate springtime flowers, not something that could survive out in this August heat. Nor in this dry desertlike land. It simply didn’t make sense. Yet, here it was, looking up at her, reminding her it was indeed there. She found herself crouching down, reaching out to touch its delicate petals, sucking in a breath as a wave of contentment washed over her. Part of her knew she should leave it where it was but another part of her, buried back in her subconscious, felt as though this very flower belonged to her. Her desert flower.

It was easy to reach out and pluck the daffodil from the ground, as gently as she could, not wanting to damage it in any way. A soft smile drifted over Rey’s face as she looked down, bringing the daffodil up to breathe in its scent, just like she had in her dream, letting the petals stroke over her lips.

A call in the distance brought her out of the dreamlike state she fell into for a few moments. Rey glanced around, looking for a sign she had been caught. She saw nothing, _yet._ The call had definitely been her name, which meant either Finn or maybe Poe was calling her, which _meant_ she only had a few minutes to get back to her plot. Turning around, she got ready to move back in the direction she had come from.

Rey shifted to move her feet only to hesitate, her brows creasing together as she tried to work out what it was she was feeling. The ground was tremoring, very softly at first until it morphed into something akin to a low rumble of thunder.

“What the-” she began but was cut off as the shaking began to split the ground.

Rey didn’t have much time to _think_ let alone call out to someone. For the ground opened up beneath her, sending her plummeting downwards.

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first story in a longgggg time and my first ever in the Star Wars Fandom!
> 
> Thanks so much to [azcendio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azcendio/pseuds/azcendio) for being my Beta, I wouldn't even have written this if it wasn't for her!  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the beginning of what will be an interesting story!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _“Promise you’ll remember me until we meet again?”_  
> 

Kylo sat in the throne room of his Underworld palace, his signature scowl on his scarred face. The grip he had on the chair meant his knuckles had turned white, not out of any real mood shift but more out of habit than anything else. The King of the Underworld’s eyes drifted over his surroundings, taking in everything, and noted the silence around him. The only sounds present were the intermittent flow of the river Styx, something perhaps just attuned to his ears, and the now tapping of his fingers on the smooth stone his throne was carved from. 

He continued his scrutinisation over the room, glancing at his witches’ basin which had been gifted to him by the Fates; it was his only view of the world above unless he ventured up there himself. The statement in itself was laughable since he was hardly welcome in the world above. Neither the gods nor the mortals ever enjoyed his presence in their world.  It was better for him to stay where he couldn’t be seen since no one liked to invite the God of the Dead into their lives. Hades. That was what the mortals called him; it meant ‘unseen’, which was what they wanted him to be. So the name Kylo was never uttered on their tongue and, after a time, it fell from memory and soon it was lost to history.

There was a glimmering around the room from the precious stones which were imbedded into the rocks; diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires all twinkled from the ceiling and walls. It created the image of a starry night despite the Underworld being void of such beauties, and in turn soothed some of his residents who had once come from the world above. Though the importance of such a pretty sight began to matter less and less since the Gods and Goddesses of both realms were beginning to die, just like the mortals that had once worshipped them. 

This was the fate waiting for all of them. As times had begun to change, it meant the mortals were worshipping and sacrificing less and less; they had moved on to a  _ new god _ . The very notion of it had made Kylo snort and roll his eyes at the idea they would no longer be worshipped as they once had. But he had been very wrong in that belief; one of the many mistakes he had made in the course of his life. 

Contrary to Kylo’s dismissal of new age beliefs, the Gods had indeed begun to suffer; more than anyone could have imagined. Due to the lack of belief from the mortals below Mount Olympus, and above the Underworld, the Gods had started to wither away. It had started with simple aches and pains in some of the lesser Gods, but it wasn’t long before cracks had started appearing in their smooth skin. From descriptions Kylo had heard, the cracks became more and more prominent until the infected became delirious and sick with fever. Eventually… they simply turned to dust. Not long after, the epidemic spread to the Olympians; Hera, Artemis and even Aphrodite were all victims of the lack of worship. From Kylo’s few visits to Mount Olympus, he had seen the decline of their palace; he had seen how it began to crumble just like the very Gods who were inhabiting it. Soon it would turn to ashes and take the memory of those who lived there. Of those who had been taken. Including his sweet Persephone. 

The God of the Dead sucked in a breath as he thought about his wife. His angel. She had been one of the many to turn to dust. When she had left, he had felt as though his heart had broken into thousands of little pieces; all he wished he could have done was empty them out of his chest and into the River Styx. The same river he had spent weeks looking into to see if his better half was floating there among the mortals whose lives had been taken by the Fates. But he realised a God’s death was final; there was no second chance at life, not for them. 

Kylo found he thought about Persephone a lot more over the past few years. It was like this involuntary route his mind took every now and then; often when he was lying in what had once been  _ their _ bed. Her side now lay cold and empty which made the ice in his veins only compact all the more. 

He allowed his eyes to drift closed for a moment as he thought back to when he first saw Persephone all those years ago. She had been collecting wild flowers in a forest not too far from where her mother rested. All he could remember was being so mesmerised by her, he simply had to speak with her. In hindsight, he realised perhaps simply trying to talk to her would have been the more suitable approach but, instead, he decided abducting her was the best course of action. However, he knew with Persephone being Demeter’s only daughter, she would never have surrendered her to him for even a moment. 

In an interesting turn of events, Kylo’s one-sided infatuation with her slowly developed into love. Or at least, he had fallen completely in love with her. The Goddess of Flowers had, of course, taken a little more time to warm up to him in the beginning; he had taken her from her home and her mother... But he had been patient.  He showed her all the tales she had heard about how ruthless and evil he was were exaggerated. He never denied he was a cold man who had little regard for prayer and sacrifices. After all, death paid no attention to those either. It simply took with little care for the turmoil it caused, and Kylo was often attributed to the same ruthlessness. After a time, he decided not to waste energy to correct those opinions and embodied them instead. 

Even when Persephone had been in the Underworld, it had taken time for him to show his vulnerability in some ways, until in the end it was her who had to be patient with him. He would be forever grateful for the fact she had possessed one of the kindest, softest hearts he had ever encountered. Once she had realised he perhaps wasn’t as bad as the tales people had told her about him, she began to become more generous with her company. Instead of keeping herself locked away in her room, she had started venturing out to wander. Soon after, she had joined him for dinner and, as days rolled by, she had remained beside him into the early hours of the morning. They would just talk; she would speak of her simple life among the flowers and nymphs, of her mother and of how Demeter doted on her but how she was terrified of losing her daughter to one of the Gods on Olympus. She spoke of how her mother warned her of the Gods and how they would take a bride only to cast her off when they fulfilled their purpose, moving on to another prospect. Kylo’s admission to Persephone then had been he had never cared for another woman, not until he saw her in the forest, and he knew he wouldn’t love another after her. 

Love had blossomed in the most unlikely of places and Kylo knew they would have been happy together. Demeter, however, had other ideas and caused havoc on earth, demanding  Persephone be brought back to her. When his love had told her mother she wished to remain in the Underworld with her now husband, Demeter had threatened to starve the mortals unless she returned. 

The day she had left him to return they had parted with a sweet kiss, one Kylo had thought to be  _ too  _ sweet. The taste left on his lips had been subtle but it had remained.  _ Pomegranate.  _ He had discovered later in the day she’d eaten six seeds from the fruit of the Underworld, forever tying her to it. Though he had left her in the world above for some time, he had eventually returned to claim his bride, striking a deal in which he would return her to the land of the living for six months of the year. At least he would be able to have her for some time, and they would be able to build on the relationship they already had. They had the chance to be happy, to have children… to just bask in each other’s presence. Even when Kylo’s gentle wife was in the mortal world, he would sneak up and meet her at the tree which stood in the meadow he had stolen her from. They would lie in the shade, surrounded by daffodils and steal whatever moments they could. 

But despite the length of time they had together, this didn’t mean it would be forever on their side. Persephone perhaps should have been one of the first Gods to be affected by the lack of worship since no one ever really prayed for flowers, but being Queen of the Underworld had given her more time. Being the Queen,  _ Kylo’s  _ Queen, had meant some of the prayers to the God of the Dead passed through her too. But not even those could sustain her forever. She too soon had turned to dust, leaving the man who most people thought to be callous and unforgiving feeling as though he had lost his world. 

He could still remember venturing up to tell Demeter of her daughter’s fate. He remembered how she had looked at him, like he had wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed, and he would never forget it. He had tried to explain, to make Demeter understand how he felt as though part of his soul left him with Persephone, but nothing could quell the rage brought on by sorrow. She had been the one to give him the scar that ran down the right side of his face, from his forehead, down over his cheek and onto his chest. But he had accepted the punishment because he had promised to protect her daughter and he had failed. He would have to live with it. Now there was still animosity between the pair but it had softened a little, despite the fact Demeter seemed to think she had suffered more than he ever could. Little did she know.

Over time Kylo had become very aware of the fact he was one of the only Gods who had remained unaffected by the shift in worship. After all, the mortals above would always be praying to whoever judged the dead, asking for their loved ones to be granted entrance. It didn’t matter what religion they followed. People would always need Death and they would always need the Underworld. In many ways it was ironic, since he was the one tricked by Zeus into becoming the ruler of this realm. Now he was one of the only Gods people still cared about. But the cruel joke was he wished he was dying; he wished he could be with his beautiful Queen again. He wished he could feel her soft touch on his skin, her fingers running down his scar. But he never would and he cursed his mind for turning his thoughts towards her all the more often now. 

Kylo couldn’t explain what brought him out of his thoughts of her except to say he felt a rumble above him. His eyes moved upwards, looking over the ceiling as though it would provide an answer to the sudden movement. When none came, he cast his eyes around the room.  He was prepared to let it slip to the back of his mind, until he felt a draft creep through the room; it slid over his knuckles pulled taught from the pressure of gripping the throne. It eased over his body, seeming to curl and lick around his midnight locks which sat at his neck. It didn’t belong here; no breeze was ever present in the Underworld, unless him losing his temper and creating one was counted. The next thing that caught in the draft made is heart move to his throat; Persephone’s flower crown, which lay where she once sat on her throne beside him, moved in the draft. At first Kylo thought his eyes were deceiving him as he watched the forget-me-not flowers she had woven in herself begin to take on the blue it had once been. When she had died, her flower crown had began to wither and die when its owner no longer had a lifeforce to keep it alive. Since then, he preserved it on the chair she had once occupied, though not able to stop the curse of death from sweeping over it. He bit down on his bottom lip to keep any emotion from flowing over as he thought of her weaving those forget-me-nots into the crown. 

\------------------------------------

_ Kylo’s footsteps echoed through the halls as he made his way to the throne room. He had been informed by one of the residents Persephone was there and, anxious to spend as much time with her as he could, walked to investigate what she was doing. It was unusual for his wife to be in there by herself instead of in her chambers, especially when it came to her condition.  _

_ If Persephone had heard him enter the room, she didn’t make it known. She sat on her throne, legs tucked up under her, as she held her crown in her hands. He leant against the doorway, satisfied at the moment with simply watching his graceful wife engrossed in her task. He couldn’t help but note the slight tremble of her fingers, the nimbleness she once had now gone as she gradually declined more and more. It was impossible for him, even at this distance, not to notice the tiny beads of sweat from the near constant fever she now had, cracks visible on her beautiful body. _

_ He could feel the tightness in this throat as he stood there; he realised the grave reality of what was happening in front of him. She was dying. She was dying and no amount of power he could bestow upon her as King of the Underworld would ever change that.  _

_ The hazel eyes of his love met his own dark ones from across the room. A smile formed on her face as she held out her frail hand, beckoning him to her. As though it was her who ruled this place, Kylo immediately pushed off the wall.  He crossed the room and climbed the steps up to where she sat. He noticed how she had immediately returned to weaving the flowers.  _

_ “Adding more?” he asked her as he glanced between the crown and her. Part of him still couldn’t believe she was sitting there and she was his. But life was cruel, even to the Gods.  _

_ “Yes, I wanted to make a special addition,” her gentle voice told him as she held up the small bunch of blue flowers which had been resting on her lap.  She continued to place them into the crown. _

_ “Why this flower?” Kylo asked her softly, wondering if there was a special significance to them or if she just had a notion. She was the goddess of flowers after all.  _

_ “They are called Forget-me-nots,” she replied to him as she looked up to meet his dark eyes.  A soft sigh of a smile crossed her mouth before she moved both the crown and the flowers to the arm of the throne. “I want you to look at them and think of me when I-” she pushed her lips together, and her eyes moved to the ground as she thought of leaving him.  _

_ “You’re not going anywhere,” Kylo’s voice was fragile, close to breaking as he looked down at his wife. He knew his voice had no real conviction and he was never one to shy away from saying truths. He reached out to trail two fingers down her cheek.  _

_ Persephone reached up to capture them underneath her cracked hand and held them to her face as she let her eyes close for a few moments.  _

_ “We both know I am,” her tone was calm but there was a weight to her words; they were filled with emotion she was afraid to show him. She wanted to be strong for him.  _

_ “Even if you were, I would never need flowers as a reminder you were mine. The world could reach its end and I would have you in my thoughts. But  _ **_my_ ** _ world ends with you Persephone,” his voice cracked then. He watched her as she brought his fingers to her lips and placed soft kisses to the pads of them.  _

_ Kylo sank to his knees in front of her, and his eyes shone with tears. His hands moved to rest on her hips as he sank his head onto her lap.  _

_ “Please don’t leave me,” the words were quiet and contained a defeated tone. He felt like just giving up, the thought of being without her too much to bear.  _

_ “I’ll never truly be gone… I know we’ll meet again, My Love,” she leant down to place a kiss on his head as she breathed in, trying to commit the smell of his hair to memory. Tears of her own spilled over and made his ink black hair glisten.  _

_ He moved his face up so he could look into her eyes as she held him. He didn’t know how he would cope without her, he didn’t know how he would go on being the man she believed he was.  _

_ “I love you,” he whispered and closed his eyes as Persephone wiped the tears from his face before she leaned in and kissed over them.  _

_ “I love you too,” she replied back, her tone matching his as she stroked along his jaw, “Promise you’ll remember me until we meet again?” _

_ “I promise”.   _

\------------------------------------

Kylo felt as though he had just been punched as he came back to reality. The memory of them sitting together in the throne room was too much, and tears threatened to spill over. He stared at the flowers again, noticing how they were now completely blue. If anything, they had gotten  _ more  _ vivid since he last looked. 

Without another moment’s hesitation he leaned over to his witches’ basin, waved a hand and waited until the images started appearing. He felt his heart stop as he looked at the face shown to him.  _ It was her. _ His mouth fell slightly ajar as he continued to watch the woman move through an airport. He could tell from her life force she seemed to be a mortal. But she had her face. She had Persephone’s face. After all these years, it appeared his love had been right; they would meet again. The sight of his wife left him short for breath and he bit back any emotion threatening to show. 

Perhaps the reason he had thought of her more and more often over the past few years was because of the birth of this woman. It was perhaps a sign his beloved was coming back to him. He looked back down at the basin, watching as the woman interacted with her friends and sank into a daydream later. He wondered if she had a lover somewhere and, instead of this being a gift, he would be doomed to watch this woman happy with another. As quickly as the thought entered Kylo’s head, he pushed it aside. No, the universe would never have allowed that to happen. Surely. 

He took a brief moment to let the stone expression people had grown accustomed to appear once more on his face. He waved his hand again, searching for Hermes who was just about to leave the Underworld after guiding a soul.

“Hermes!” he bellowed, letting his voice carry across his realm before he sat back to wait on the messenger god’s appearance. When he did, apparently out of thin air, he met his eyes. 

“Tell Demeter I wish to speak with her urgently. It’s a matter of life and death.” The words should have been laughable since they were all supposedly immortal but, given he had heard Demeter’s condition worsened as each day passed, the statement had never been more true. He watched as Hermes nodded and disappeared from sight. 

The King of the Underworld knew he wouldn’t be waiting too long for the whirlwind of a woman to make an appearance, especially since he knew she would rage at the fact he summoned her. In reality, the tactic had been a ploy to ensure she arrived as quickly as possible. 

His suspicions proved to be correct when the doors to the throne room were thrown open and the Goddess of the Harvest stormed through. He could feel the waves of rage flowing off her, a reminder of the animosity she still held towards him. Here he was thinking they were past all of that. In truth he knew they would never get to a stage where they could talk as friends, not just as adversaries, especially with Demeter’s time running out. 

“Kylo!” her voice bounced off the walls. If he hadn’t been a cold, unaffected man then he would have cringed at the sheer tone of it, but he was and he didn’t. Instead, he simply looked down at her from his throne, waiting for her to get it all out before he opened his mouth. “How  _ dare _ you summon me to this forsaken place. This had better be-”

“What? Life or death? Well we all know whose death is approaching don’t we?” he retaliated, his eyes darkening as he met hers again. Had Persephone been beside him, she would have laid her hand on his arm, delicately stroking the fabric to calm him. But since her death, he hadn’t been able to hold back as she had once convinced him to. The sight of Demeter turning about six different colours was almost enough to make a gleeful smile appear, but he managed to restrain it, lest she give him another scar to match the one he already had. 

“If you weren’t already in the Underworld, I’d damn you to it.”  The anger in her voice subsided slightly when she realised she had no real response to what he said. But all the same, he could almost see the cogs working in her brain to formulate some sort of retaliation. Just as she was about to open her mouth again, he slammed his hand down on the armrest with enough force the ground shook. 

“Enough! I haven’t asked you down here to simply reignite a pissing match. The reason I’ve asked you here  _ is _ a matter of urgency and it cannot wait,” his voice began to rise as his gaze bored into hers, leaving no room for argument.  “Come here, I have something to show you.” 

He gestured with his big hands, beckoning her to climb the stairs and stand by his witches’ basin. Once he was satisfied she was actually paying attention, he dragged his fingers over the water, allowing smoke to curl up from its surface. The tendrils of smoke intertwined as they rose up before the girl, who had been made in Persephone’s imagine, appeared in front of them. His eyes moved from the vision of the girl to Demeter. Anything she was getting ready to say died on her lips as she watched on. He could see the tears swirling in her eyes as she registered what she saw. 

In that moment, he wondered what was going through her mind; was she in shock as he had been? Or perhaps she had expected this to happen. No, he decided as he continued observing her; she had no idea this was even a possibility. 

“You… you won’t get her this time, Kylo. You won’t get my baby, I swear it,” her voice was filled with venom as she turned her gaze upon him. The statement actually made him groan.  _ He  _ had been the one to show this to her,  _ he _ had been the one to  _ tell _ her of the girl’s existence. This was something he felt she deserved to know. Not because he wanted the upper hand but because he believed Demeter, as Persephone’s mother, should be able to see her daughter. But his reaction only seemed to fuel the fire in her. “I’m going to take her to Olympus where she really belongs.”

“What? The Olympus crumbling from the inside out? That Olympus?” Kylo inquired with his eyebrows raised. The only thing he got in response was his head snapping to the side from the force of a blow Demeter administered to him. It had been a similar reaction of hers that gave him the scar he wore on his face. But luckily this time, he had just been greeted with the palm of her hand. 

“I will keep her away from you. I will keep her away from the monster you are,” she snarled as she pointed her finger towards him. Despite the attempt to seemingly get a rise out of him, he remained calm, an almost sad smile moving over his face as he took in her words of malice. 

“I’m a monster? You call me a monster and yet it is  _ your _ rage causing the deaths of thousands from famine and destruction. You neglecting your duties as a goddess is not only sending more souls into my realm but it’s literally tearing you apart in the process.” Kylo gestured down to the cracks clearly visible all over the Goddess’ body. 

Demeter recoiled from Kylo’s words as though he had returned her strike in kind. He made no attempt to apologise since, in his eyes, what he just said was something she needed to hear. He knew he was a monster, he owned up to it, but what he couldn’t abide was someone being in denial about the turmoil they caused. Demeter was so wrapped in her grief of the loss of her daughter, the people who had once prayed to her had long since given up. No one wanted to even broach the subject, but she was going to be the cause of her own demise. 

He watched her silently as she staggered down the stairs like a wounded animal, cradling herself. He knew he had perhaps been too harsh on her and now, no doubt, she would run back to Olympus telling tales about how he had been cruel to her. 

“I will have Persephone, you won’t steal her this time,” she growled as she swept out of the throne room, making sure the doors slammed behind her.

“You always had her,” Kylo mumbled under his breath as he sagged back into the chair. He closed his eyes and began to massage his temples. Persephone had never really chosen between her mother and her husband like Demeter seemed to think; she was a fierce creature whose heart was filled with passion and kindness. She was someone who loved fearlessly and that love encompassed her mother too. Even when they were at their happiest, she would always speak to him about how she wished her mother would visit more often. But these were all things she had tried to tell Demeter, but her mother had been too wrapped up in the betrayal of Persephone falling in love with Kylo. Oh, and how she had loved him. He brought his hands around to cover his face as he tried to control any emotions threatening to flow through as he thought about his angel. 

After a moment in silence, he tried to pull himself together. He sat up and turned back to observe the girl’s movements in the world above. He watched on as she made her way through the site the archeologists thought had once been the foot of Mount Olympus. They probably didn’t even realise how close they were, which Kylo found far too much amusement in. The more he watched the more apparent it was this girl was one of the archeologists, especially from her interactions with those around her. The raise of his eyebrows showed slight surprise in her knowing people he had come across. A wife and friend of one of his very own prisoners. What a coincidence. It appeared this woman would be far more intriguing than he had first thought. Even from his witches’ basin, he could see she had fire behind her eyes as she argued with Luke. Not that he was surprised she found cause to argue with him; he had found Luke to be irritable even from their brief encounter.  

_ Rey… _ So that was her name. She suited it from what he could tell. 

The scene shifted and Kylo moved to rest his chin on his hand as he watched quietly, interest peaking when he saw she had ended up at what was left of Demeter’s temple. Even from the water, he could sense Demeter’s presence there, trying to coax her. He knew her fading lifeforce meant her ableness to communicate was compromised.  Despite having it in his ability, he decided not to intervene; it was far more interesting for him to look on. Even more so when another familiar face appeared. Of course; Lachesis, or Maz as he had heard her being called in the mortal world. He should have known she would make an appearance there; she always ended up where she needed to be. He leaned forward, towards the images in front of him; he noticed Maz was looking at the woman with a knowing look he had seen on her face many a time. So she knew who the girl was, too. It gave him hope the stars were beginning to align in their favour once more. With that, he waved a hand through the image, dispelling the smoke. He was going to bide his time for the right moment and go to her when she was less shaken by events happening around her. The Dreamworld was the perfect opportunity. 

\---------------------------------------

Hours later when Rey had finally gone to sleep, Kylo saw his chance to give the woman more insight into her past life. He closed his eyes and let part of his spirit seep through the basin and into her mind. He fed her images of the entrance to the Underworld, the crack above her, the daffodils and himself in phantom form. There was no intention to scare her, quite the opposite in fact. What he really wanted was for the young woman to feel comforted when she was in his presence, or even just curious. He watched from his mind as he reached out his hand, waiting for her reaction. He felt his heartbeat pick up as he saw Rey reach out towards him. He knew she was at least intrigued by what was going on and that was the first step in helping her to understand who she was. 

As he watched her, he could tell there was at least a little recognition in her eyes. Perhaps a simple inkling or a repressed memory, just something…  _ anything.  _ He knew times had changed in the mortal world; it wouldn’t be as easy as simply abducting her from their meadow and keeping her in the Underworld until she fell in love with him. This girl had been born a mortal and had lived a mortal life. She had grown up in a time where the Gods of old had ceased to be worshipped and the idea of worship itself was a dying art. Now people hid behind the idea they controlled everything around them, that fate played no part in their lives. Ha. He was sure Maz would have something to say about their beliefs. But Kylo couldn’t help but wonder if this girl- Rey- had a different view. She chose a living which meant she was always digging up the past. How much of her desire sprung from wanting to search into her own? He could feel the sense of loss coming from her as he searched her mind. There was a feeling of incompletion, like she was always in search of something. Every one of her actions pointed to the possibility of the past holding more meaning to her than the future. 

As he reached through her thoughts, weaving his way around her memories, he could see the growing confusion wrapping around her most recent ones. Feelings that only began as he had started thinking more and more of his wife. It seemed too much of a coincidence for it not to be linked in some way. His mind was immediately going to the possibility they were linked by their minds; like they felt each other’s emotions. It wasn’t something he had really thought about before; the random bouts of frustration or even elation, but it made sense they weren’t his emotions.  They were hers. 

This revelation nearly made him lose focus of the dream, but he regained his concentration just in time to prevent losing his hold. He realised she was still stretched out towards him, so close they could almost touch if he took that last step forward. But his hesitation seemed to allow an unwanted guest to manifest itself into Rey’s mind. The sky, which he had ensured cast light into the crack, darkened and a rumble of thunder boomed, echoing around the two. The scream coming next made it clear who had thrust in her presence. Demeter. 

He felt himself be pulled out of the dream as Rey surged back to consciousness. At least with her out of the dream world, it meant Demeter couldn’t be a thorn in his side. Moreover, he knew the effort the harvest goddess just used would have added another crack into her skin, bringing her closer to being swept from their world. Despite still having anger towards her, he didn’t want to see another of the Gods vanish. The difference with her was she was ultimately causing her own demise by making mortals believe there was no one who could stop the crops failing or the rising oceans. Her grief from the loss of her daughter would be what killed her too. It was this titbit that stopped him from completely losing his temper.  Instead his hands formed into fists. A loud, annoyed sigh escaped his lips as a frown appeared on his forehead. 

Well, if Demeter was going to make it difficult for him to try to reach Rey in the dream world, then he had to speak to her in person. It was a chance to test the girl, for him to see if she remembered more than she thought. With his decision made, he stood up and stalked out of room in a bid to pass some time until an opportunity presented itself. 

\---------------------------------------------

It was several hours later when Kylo’s determination had ebbed away somewhat, having decided walking straight up to her might not be the best approach in this situation. In other words, he was a coward and he knew it. So instead, he passed time by doing his usual duties such as judging the newly arrived souls, because that was apparently easier than speaking to a woman who looked like his dead wife.  _ Anything  _ seemed easier at the moment. 

In a bid to distract himself after his duties were completed, he walked through the meadow by the entrance to his realm and kicked at the grass as he went. The flowers that had been present when Persephone once ruled alongside him were long gone but the grass still grew thanks to the flow of the Styx. He supposed what he was doing could be described as moping, but he never liked the term. Cerberus, his three-headed dog, lay in the shadow of a boulder at the far end of the meadow, having barely left the spot since his owner’s wife had died. 

His thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like rain knocking against the gates beyond the river. He cocked his head to the side as he processed the disturbance, wondering what on earth had caused it since  _ usually _ nothing living made an appearance. Curiosity got the better of him and the God of the Underworld made his way over the river and up the passageway to investigate the noise. 

Once he was through the huge gates, he walked up the slope, wondering who would dare disturb his kingdom. The torches lit up along the walls as he walked. His slow gait as he moved wasn’t due to fear but, rather, the indecision over whether he could be bothered to deal with whatever it was. Though nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met his eyes. 

Persephone, or rather the woman who embodied her in every way, lay in the dirt. His eyes moved briefly from her to the crack in the surface of the earth, surmising she must have fallen through. All his thoughts of how she could possibly have ended up right above the weak earth, or how she managed to make such a entrance when he was thinking about her, were cast out when he realised she was unconscious and  _ bleeding. _ He knew he should have worried about her waking up and seeing him but all he could think about was her pain. 

His eyes roamed over her body as he knelt down beside her, scanning for the source of the blood. He quickly diagnosed the compound fracture of her ankle was the main cause of the blood which spilled onto the soil. Her head also had a gash and he watched as more of the crimson liquid eked out of the break in her skin. He also noticed the daffodil which lay just out of her reach, it having descended with her.  It almost made him lose focus entirely. 

His movements were slow as he slid down to the bottom of her body and gently picked up her leg with the fracture, his big hands trailing along it as he brought it closer to him. His head dipped down to place a tender kiss to the side of the wound, watching as light radiated from it. The kiss of life from the Gods had long been talked about and Kylo’s kiss was no different from those of the Olympians, but he considered it ironic he could administer it since he was the God of the Dead. He left it to work its magic and moved up to her head again, reaching out to cradle it with his hands before administering another kiss to her temple to stop the flow of blood and heal the wound. 

Kylo took a moment to look down at her as he set her back on the ground carefully. There wasn’t a part of her that didn’t match Persephone’s appearance; everything right down to the tiny dusting of freckles gracing her nose. It made his heart jolt in his chest as he felt the pain of knowing she didn’t possess the memories she once had. She didn’t remember the love they had shared or the experiences which had came with it. 

What he hadn’t been expecting so soon was for Rey to groan softly as she began to regain consciousness. He felt the panic rise in his chest as he tried to decide what to do. Only a second later, her beautiful hazel eyes opened to meet his for a split second. 

He disappeared into a puff of smoke. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoy it and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first chapter! 
> 
> Hollie xoxo


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _Entrance to the next Realm. Beyond these doors is the point of no return, where life ends and death begins._  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited after my Beta read it!

The first thing Rey became aware of as she began to regain consciousness was the dull ache in her head, which subsided the longer she was awake. She thought she felt her head move, as though someone was maneuvering her around slightly but it was completely possible she was just concussed. She struggled to think of what happened for her to be in this position: eyes closed, pained, and laying on a hard surface. 

_ The fall. _

Suddenly her memory of what happened moments before came back to her with a thud and knocked her completely back to awareness, just as the pain disappeared completely. Her eyes snapped open. The view of the split earth she had expected to see wasn’t there at all. No, what she saw was a pair of warm brown eyes staring back at her before they seemingly evaporated into thin air. 

Rey remained where she was, shocked into complete paralysis as her brain tried to process what she had just seen. Surely no one had found her yet. She strained her ears as she listened for any signs of movement; nothing came or went. Not even the scuffle of a mouse moving over the earth. Not even a bird call. It wasn’t until later she noted the strangeness of that in itself. It was what she imagined death to sound like, just nothing. 

After a moment of letting her mind spiral down about what she had seen, she used her elbows to push herself up to look around. Her eyes scanned for any injuries, noting how her leg was covered in congealed blood. She pulled herself up to sit and reached down to inspect, trailing her fingers over the area. Sure enough, the blood came off on her hand and coated her fingertips. Her confusion began to heighten at the lack of any open wound on her person. 

“What the hell,” she muttered to herself as she felt the same consistency on the side of her head and yet, no pain. 

The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up as the familiar feeling of being watched came over her again. She snapped her head around the area, her keen eyes observing as she tried to find anything out of place. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss save for the fact she had fallen down a hole in the earth. But her eyes immediately moved back to an area where the ground descended further; there it was. The same black smoke from her dream. Rey sucked in a breath of air as she continued to stare, noticing how it didn’t disappear. Perhaps she was slipping into the outskirts of madness, for she felt the smoke was watching her. 

There was no fear present within her; if anything, there was a calm. It was like she knew this presence; like it had once provided comfort to her. She followed its movement as it slid down the slope, disappearing from view. 

With a groan, Rey struggled to her feet and looked up again. There was no way in hell she was going to be able to climb out of this, not even with her having done rock climbing with Finn, and it appeared no one was venturing close.  Her phone was stupidly still in her toolbelt at her plot so it wasn’t like she could just call for help and explain her situation. She would have wait out until someone realised something was amiss. 

So fate played a part in her decision of what to do while she waited. Once again, her gaze returned to the pathway, curiosity welling in her chest. This was what Luke feared about her; she was far too curious for her own good and she knew it, but it was hardly like she was ever going to make the admission to him. 

Just before she moved from her spot, a familiar flash of yellow caught at the corner of her eyes. She looked down and saw the daffodil sitting there. A smile crossed her face without really knowing why she felt such joy from the simple flower. Before she arrived in Greece, she had felt no real pull to them, but now she felt like she had always loved them. Rey swept down to pick it up, inhaling its scent like she had in the dream, before she made the spur of the moment decision to find out what was further down the passageway. 

She nearly leapt into the air from fright as torches down the sides of the cave burst to life, naked flames appearing out of thin air, lighting her way down. If she was honest with herself, she couldn’t help but feel it was a bad idea to find out what lay beyond, but her gut told her to keep going. It wasn’t like she could do anything else anyway. 

Rey’s feet carried her slowly down the decline. As she walked, her mind cast back to Luke scolding her for inquiring about the fence that separated the excavation site from the area she was in. Had he known this existed? Did Leia? She couldn’t deny these questions just made her increase her pace. If there was a possibility they were hiding this for whatever reason, she wanted to find out  _ what  _ they were hiding. She never liked to feel she was being left out of the loop so, if anything, it was because of them she was making this trip into the bowels of the earth. 

The passageway slowly began to open out into a large chamber as she walked.  It made her eyes widen, knowing there was every chance she was on the brink of an extraordinary discovery. What made things even better was the fact it was going to be  _ her _ discovery. She knew she was getting ahead of herself, but she genuinely felt as though this would create a new version of her, no matter what lay ahead. Perhaps she was concussed, perhaps it was simply an inkling, but this  _ was _ going to change everything. 

Rey felt herself almost choke as she absorbed her surroundings. There were huge double doors in front of her. It took a moment but she realised it was carved into the rock. Her eyes moved around, taking in the sheer scale of what was presented to her; she was nothing but a pinprick in comparison to these doors. So much so the entire structure of the man-made creation made her stagger back, her eyes wide. Was this what Luke was trying to hide? He had taught her a lot, including how to read ancient Greek so, as soon as she noticed the inscription on the top of the door, she set about translating it. Her mouth formed the words, but her body was sent reeling back when she put everything together. 

_Entrance to the next Realm. Beyond these doors is the point of no return, where life ends and death begins._

A spontaneous hysterical laughter rolled off her lips. Even if this was a gimmick or some sort of decoy, this very door alone was enough for her to be able to break out on her own. All she had ever wanted was to have her own adventures. Be a Lara Croft of sorts.  And if she was continually tied to Luke then she’d never be able to, not really. She didn’t resent Luke for the opportunities he had given her, but she  _ did _ resent him for not trusting her skill in what she had been born to do. 

So now as she stood in front of these doors, she realised this was a pivotal moment in her life. Rey just had to decide if she wanted to reach out, make the final push. Her hand stretched out in front of her, just like it had in her dream. A whispering came from behind the the huge doors, attracting her attention… calling her home. She was about to place her hands on the cool stone when she heard a commotion behind her. 

“Rey?! Are you down there?” It was Finn calling her, panicked, and the acoustics carried his voice down the passageway. Despite wanting to continue with what she had started, she turned on her heels and ran back up. The last thing she wanted was her friends thinking she was either dead or knocked out somewhere.

Her feet carried her up the slope to where the crack in the earth was, and she squinted her eyes as she adjusted to the sunlight that streamed down into the area. She brought her hand up, shielding herself as she tried to work out who was up there with Finn. 

“Down here!” she called to them and heard an audible sigh of relief from her rescuers. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright world above and Finn’s face finally came into focus. 

“Hang tight; Poe’s getting a rope. Hope you’ve still got some body strength from those rock climbing lessons,” came her friend’s response, causing her eyes to roll. She could distantly hear Luke’s voice and she grimaced at the mere sound of it. She knew there was most likely going to be some sort of altercation as soon as her head came up over the soil. Rey had half a mind just to tell Finn not to bother rescuing her, and just fill in the hole. She’d rather be buried alive than have to deal with Luke. 

Against her better judgement, she left out the suggestion as she waited for the rope to descend. She glanced back at the passage where those huge doors were. Her jaw slackened ever so slightly when she noticed the torches were extinguished and had let the darkness enfold. She found herself wondering if they would relight when she walked back over. 

Just as she got ready to test out her theory, she heard the swoop of the rope cutting through the air, a loop tied in for her foot. 

“Okay Rey, you’re good to go,” it was Finn’s voice again, alerting her to the fact they were ready. As though the rope wouldn’t have told her already. She reached out to get herself into position, but not before the familiar prickling presence at the base of her neck began again. She turned, searching for the smoke she had seen before. Nothing. But at the same time, she felt a sense of deja vu as she stood there. It was like she  _ knew _ this place, like she had actually stood there before and took in everything. She wondered when she would next get the chance to come down and investigate her find. Nonetheless, she was excited beyond words to finally have found something to set her  _ next  _ to Luke and not forever behind him. 

With a big sigh, Rey shoved her foot in the rope loop and yanked, knowing full well what waited on her as she rose up. God have mercy on her soul. Though, it wasn’t like he would do anything about it. Besides, even if God did exist, she doubted she would be in his favour if those doors really were the gateway to the Underworld.

After spending so long underground, the harsh light of the world above made Rey audibly groan.  She pulled herself up with her arms once she was close enough. What happened next could only be described as organised chaos as people swarmed around her and checked for injuries. All she managed to do was nod or shake her head depending on the question being directed her way. Her attention was only really caught when she saw Poe make his way through the group of people who fussed around her. 

“Rey, you’re bleeding.”  His hand found the side of her face, scanning over it. It was clear he was worried about her; she could see it in his eyes. 

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt, just a bit sore from the fall,” she reassured him although she knew the dried blood would not help her case. She brought her hand up to squeeze his for a second before she moved it away from her face. She didn’t wait for his response.  Instead, she searched for Luke and Leia amongst the people who had switched their attention from her to the great hole in the earth. She didn’t have to look long before she picked out the siblings’ faces.

“Luke! Leia!” she called out as she quickened her pace to cover the ground between them faster. When she saw their expressions, she knew this conversation was going to be a bit of a double-edged sword. One of them had eyes filled with concern and the slightest amount of frustration. The other set, Luke’s, only had a small amount of concern while the animosity was clear.  _ Oh boy.  _

“You’re alright, Rey?” Leia asked as her brows furrowed. The woman was mostly concerned for her welfare, and her eyes searched over the younger woman’s body. There was a slight hesitation when she noted the blood on her face and leg, but ultimately she decided not to comment. 

“Yes, just a few scratches but you’ll never bel-” Rey was excited, she could barely keep the elated expression off her face as she looked between the siblings. She felt like this could be her moment of glory, her moment to finally prove to Luke she was worth more than the lesser jobs he had given her. But instead, she was cut off midway through her sentence. 

“How could you have been so stupid? I  _ told  _ you the fence was there for a reason!” Luke’s voice boomed, loud enough for Rey to jump. Her eyes widened as she looked at him; she had expected a reprimand but this? Uncalled for.  

Her discovery was something special and she  _ had _ to get the information out before he spontaneously combusted from rage. Which actually seemed likely. If the young woman was honest with herself, she couldn’t understand why he was already showing so much anger towards what had occured. She tried to protest, “But if you would just-” 

“You’re so damn impulsive and you have no regard for others!” This tone was nothing short of a snarl and it visibly made Rey recoil from the shock of it. She knew she had made a mistake by crossing the fence for a damn flower, she had no intention of letting that slip, so she was expecting at least a slap on the wrists. But this level of antagonism towards her, apparently, poor decision?  It was safe to say she was rendered speechless. 

“Luke…” Leia’s warning tone cut through the conversation. At least there was now an attempt to come to her defence. Though the effort wasn’t exactly what Rey would have deemed exemplar. 

“You’re always defending her, Leia but she really fucked up this time.” The harshness of his words was enough to make his young protegee cringe. It took everything in her not to raise her shoulders in protest to the words. Nonetheless, she was still determined to tell them both about her discovery, despite how much he seemed to be against her actually using her vocal cords.

She attempted to explain what had occured when she fell down the hole, about what she found and goddamnit they were going to listen to her. She knew how important this was, not just for her, but for everyone.   “But I found-” 

“You’re lucky I don’t fire you on-” Luke’s words were the last straw, she could feel the anger in her chest as she listened. A quick glance at Leia was enough for her to know she would not intervene on her behalf again.

“ _ WOULD YOU BOTH LISTEN TO ME!!”  _ Rey practically screamed in order to get their attention. The anger she had died a little when she realised nearly everyone who had gathered at the opening in the ground had turned to observe them. 

A stunned silence fell over everyone, including Luke and Leia who looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and anxiousness about what she would say next. She surmised this was the reason her mentor roughly dragged her out of earshot of the rest of the crew. She knew she had to seize her chance to tell them before he started another tyrade. 

“There’s a door down there with an inscription. Almost like a gateway and it’s  _ old _ . As old as the temples at the site, if not even older. It said ‘ _ Entrance to the next Realm. Beyond these doors is the point of no return, where life ends and death begins’  _ in Ancient Greek. And I know I didn’t mess up the translation since you both taught it to me!” Rey spoke fast and she knew it; she spoke at a machine gun fire rate in order to get everything out before they stopped her again. However, she hadn’t been expecting a stillness to befall the trio as they stood there in the wake of her discovery.

“You don’t say a word of this to anyone.” Luke’s voice was level as he spoke, an almost scary determination in his eyes as he looked at her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen this kind of emotion, but she wasn’t going to let it deter her from making her thoughts known. 

“But this is a huge discovery! And something I found, I want to investigate it!” Her protest had already begun as she stared at the both of them, noting how there was still no interjection from Leia. Surely they couldn’t both think to take this achievement away from her? 

“Luke is right. Not a word of this to anyone.” Rey’s face fell as she turned to look at Leia as she addressed her. Her too? She couldn’t believe it. She could have potentially found what the Ancient Greeks thought to be the gateway to the Underworld and they seriously thought she wouldn’t  _ tell  _ anyone about it?! They were  _ both  _ deluded.

“This isn’t fair! You can’t take this from me!” It would have been a lie to say Rey couldn’t feel the tears springing to her eyes as she looked between them, wordlessly begging them to reconsider their stance on the matter. She had expected something like this from Luke but from Leia? She felt as though she had been betrayed by her, like she had betrayed the younger woman’s trust. Rey had  _ always _ believed Leia had her back. Now it felt like it hadn’t been the case at all. 

“I”ll be taking your job if you don’t keep your mouth closed.” The next words from Luke’s mouth actually made her take a step back, her jaw now slightly slack as she processed his threat. It only fueled on her exasperation with both of them all the more.

“What are you both so  _ afraid _ of?! Because it’s what I think it is?” Her voice was lower than what could have been expected from a woman who felt like her greatest ever discovery, possibly never to be topped again, had been taken away from her. 

“Not another word. Poe will take you home. You’re taking the rest of the day off so I can decide when and if you can come back to the dig.” Luke’s voice was filled with the same tone he had used when he told her she wasn’t going to be in the position of archeologist on her first excavation; there would be no swaying him. 

“Wow… you’re serious. Here I was  _ proud _ to be working for Luke  _ Skywalker. _ I’m beginning to think I was wrong. Seems like you’re a coward if you’re not going to even look at what I found down there. You both are.” Rey could feel the tears in her eyes as she turned on her heels. At this point she didn’t care if Luke fired her or didn’t allow her to come back to work; the rage she felt in her bones was clouding her judgement. 

“Rey…” Leia placed her hand on Rey’s arm as she attempted to stop her from leaving, only for Rey to snatch it back. She didn’t even want to breath the same air as them. She wanted to be left alone. 

“Don’t bother. I’ll walk back,” she snapped at Leia as she trudged over the desertous meadow, ignoring any shouts of her name behind her. She knew she wasn’t through with those doors. She was going to investigate more even if it meant sneaking back in the dead of night. 

Her stride only reduced when she arrived back at her plot. She hastily picked up her phone and the little backpack she had brought with her to the dig, slinging it onto her back as she climbed back up the slope to the entrance of the site. It was on the incline she realised she hadn’t brought her daffodil from the cave. She knew it was stupid but she felt a wave of disappointment as she thought of the flower lying down there, beginning to die. 

She had almost reached the dig’s gates when she heard footsteps approaching at a quick rate, coming towards her. Out of principle she refused to turn around, until she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder.  She wheeled around to find out who had come after her. 

Of course. Poe. 

“What is it, Poe?” she asked him wearily. She wasn’t in the mood for any of the typical interactions she was sure to get. She’d end up committing a murder.

“Luke told me to drive you back, so here I am.” His smile was wide but she could tell from the shape it was more to try and cheer her up than actually being pleased about this task. 

“Oh, how considerate of him. Well I’m walking, so no need.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she moved to continue on her way, only to have Poe gently take a hold of her arm, keeping her close to him. 

“Come on Rey, let me just drive you back.” She noted how his tone almost pleaded with her, or it might also have been he knew battling against her stubbornness was often a losing battle. 

“Why? Because he’ll lay into you if you don’t?” Rey knew she was being awkward just for the sake of it; she usually wasn’t someone who would take her issues out on anyone else, but Luke had gotten under her skin. 

“No, because I want to. Please let me.” Poe’s words and the way he said them made the burning fury subside slightly. They made her think he wouldn’t be able to function unless he made sure she got back to the hotel safely. He didn’t need to say it; she knew how his mind worked. She knew a lot about him. 

“Okay… okay, fine,” she huffed as she held her hands up to signal he had won the mini argument. She walked over to his security car and waited for the familiar click of the central locking before getting into the passenger seat.

The rage emulating from Rey must have been undeniable, since Poe was completely silent for the first part of the journey back to the hotel. She saw him glance over at her a few times, deciding if he should speak, his mouth opened and closed before he turned back to the road. In any other circumstances she would have made a comment and tried to take the tension. So she decided to remain quiet until he made the decision to speak up.

“Rey? Are you okay? It’s not like you to be this quiet.” And just like that, all of her hopes were dashed; she suppressed a sigh since she knew it would be beyond difficult to get him to drop the subject now he started. 

“I’m just dandy, Poe.” Her response dripped with sarcasm as she glanced at him before she turned back to stare out of the windshield, her jaw set in defiance. She wasn’t going to give him this conversation easily. She remembered Finn once compared getting a conversation out of her when she was in a mood to  _ pulling teeth,  _ and she wasn’t about to start making things easy now. 

“You know I can see through you right?” Poe’s tone was flat, making it obvious he didn’t believe a word of what she said. She wasn’t exactly meant to be believed but it still didn’t stop her from keeping her eyes glued in front of her when he turned to stare at her. 

“It’s just as well I didn’t ask you then, isn’t it?” she snapped back at him, hoping the annoyance behind her words would be enough to ward him off; she should have known better. Especially since Poe had always backed her up from the moment they met, even when he hardly knew her. 

“Rey!” Irritation saturated his voice when he barked at her, making her jump at the abruptness of it. In a way she supposed she deserved it, it just usually took longer for him to get to this point. 

“What?!” Rey protested as her head whipped around to look at him. She was well aware she was being unreasonable with Poe, who had actually done nothing wrong, but her fiery temper was preventing her from acknowledging it. 

“Cut the shit! I know you’re upset and I want to help. Was it Luke? Was he a dick to you?” The conviction in his words and the anger flashing in his eyes immediately made her defiant facade crumble. There was no beating around the bush with him; he just came out with whatever he thought so she knew what he said now was out of love, not necessity. It made her feel guilty for being so cold towards him. 

“That’s like asking if the grass is green.” Rey’s reply was much softer than her previous retort, knowing he wasn’t arguing with her for the fun of it.

“He’s lucky I don’t throw him into the hole you fell down… you deserve better than how he treats you, Rey.” Poe’s voice quietened this time; he was struggling with how she was treated. He had made his vulnerability and frustration known before when it regarded Luke’s treatment towards her. So she knew that she shouldn’t be surprised that he was showing it to her now. 

“Well right now I’m going to be lucky if I get to keep my job, so I might have to start looking for better… All this over my curiosity.” The more she thought about it, the angrier she got at herself. How could she have been so  _ stupid _ over a fucking daffodil?! Maybe uncovering what was possibly the biggest discovery this century, or even  _ ever _ , wasn’t worth Luke’s wrath. 

“He won’t fire you, you’ll see; he’ll calm down by tomorrow.” His words were soothing now as his hand came out to squeeze her shoulder.  She turned to meet his eyes again. 

“Ha, looks like you’re taking over as the driver of the positivity train.” She chuckled then, feeling a little more like herself just by speaking to him. It reminded her of old times, when they first met. 

“Yeah, well the usual one is currently MIA.” Poe spoke softly as they came to a halt in front of the hotel, and suddenly Rey found she didn’t really want to get out of the car; it was a safe place where harsh words couldn’t cut into her. 

“I’m sure she’ll be back soon.” It was a reassurance for both of them because she knew she had always been dubbed the optimistic one at each of the sites. 

“You want me to stay with you? I can if you want me to.” The question made her realise she needed to get out the car and head into the hotel. 

“No, it’s fine, I need some time to be alone with my thoughts.” She shook head as she turned to look into his chocolate brown eyes; she knew she needed time to think over the last twenty-four hours. Yet, she didn’t take her gaze off him as he leaned in towards her. However, knowing what could potentially happen, she felt an anxiety in her system and she didn’t want the events of the day to cloud anyone’s judgement.  Rey slowly raised her hand to rest it on his cheek, stopping the movement but gently stroking his cheek with her thumb.

“Thanks Poe,” she murmured, a soft smile moving over her face.  She turned, pulling the door handle and exiting the vehicle.

Rey didn’t look back as she walked into the hotel; the sound of the reving engine announced Poe had carried on his way. She felt guilt in the pit of her stomach since she knew he had wanted to stay with her to make sure she was alright. But she had no idea how she would explain to anyone how she was feeling.  She felt like she was having major deja vu. Which would have been fine, however deja vu was never meant to be thousands of years old. 

The jingle of keys in her backpack let her know what she hadn’t locked herself out her room, but she did spend a good few minutes rifling through her bag to find the offenders. Perhaps it was the agitations of the day causing her frantic actions, but one thing she knew was she wanted to be in her hotel room with her phone turned off for at  _ least _ twelve hours. After she pulled out the old fashioned key from her bag, she slid it into the lock, twisted the key and entered the room. 

The bath was running before she had even dropped her bag, feeling like this was her top priority; to wash the bad mood from her body. Rey let the hot liquid flow into the tub before exiting back to the main area, dropping her backpack on the floor before walking over and opening the curtains she had neglected when she had left so early. 

As the sun streamed in, soaking the room in its rays, she looked around at her surroundings. She remembered how pleased she had felt when she had been told she’d been upgraded to a suite. Now, as she took in the room, she realised perhaps the feeling had been a little premature; the hotel was old-fashioned with a tiny box television which looked more at home a few decades prior to the present. The  _ colour _ of the room left a lot to be desired; the maroon concussion-inducing if one stared too long. The satin curtains, separating the main bedroom from the sofas and windows with a view onto the street, had probably hung there since the hotel first opened; the chrome colour had worn away in some patches. Not even the floor gave her a break since it was the same colour as the bloody walls. Once upon a time this hotel would have been one of the jewels of Athens, the problem now was it had stayed in the past too long. Still, the staff were second to none and from what she recalled, the bed was pretty comfortable. Every cloud had a silver lining, she supposed. 

Rey wandered back to the bathroom, flicked the switch and let the light flood the room. The strange black and white tiles had no reason nor rhyme; they were sporadically placed over the walls. The bathtub itself was against the back wall and had the  _ delightful _ addition of a mustard coloured shower curtain. Wonderful. 

The mood she was in clearly led her to be so critical of the room she was going to be housed in for the next few weeks; usually she was grateful to have a place to stay and not need to pay rent. Still, she was more than sure she’d most likely grow to completely hate the room as time passed, and her resentment of Luke would be the direct cause. It was funny how one thing could affect her opinion of another. 

She let out a sigh and moved over to the mirror, observing her reflection. There was dust smeared over her face, masking her freckles and of course the dried blood was still plastered to the side of her head. In all honesty, she looked like a complete mess and it was a miracle the staff hadn’t panicked the moment they saw her. She glanced to the side, noting the white robe hanging on the hook by the little table of toiletries. A smile moved over her face at the prospect of being able to snuggle into bed in a robe. The idea, however, was shot down in flames when she reached out to touch the fabric only to be met with something akin to sandpaper.  _ Maybe not _ , she thought to herself with a roll of her eyes as she began to strip off her clothes, dumping them off to the side. Rey moved over to turn off the water, running her fingers to test the temperature, causing her to suck in a breath. 

“Hotter than the pits of hell,” she muttered under her breath before eventually smiling as the heat settled around her skin like a blanket. After a pause, she slid down into the water until she was fully submerged with the exception of her neck and head. She idly watched as the clear water began to shift in colour, the dried blood on her leg giving it the slightest rusty tint as it dislodged.

After a few moments, her eyes drifted closed as her thoughts drifted back to the events of the day. Images flashed through her mind as she lay there; the dig, the hole in the earth she had fallen down.  _ Hazel eyes _ . Now that she had a moment to herself, she remembered the sight of those brown eyes staring down at her when she came round from her fall. At the beginning she had thought she had imagined it, a creation of a potential concussion but, the more she thought about them, the surer she was they had been there. She had felt as though they trapped her in their gaze, even if only for a split second before they disappeared. This had to be a figment of her imagination, from lack of sleep and potential jetlag.  _ It had to be. _

She was preparing to let her thoughts take a mindless turn, but then she opened her eyes again and the colour of the shower curtain triggered another memory.  _ The daffodil _ . She had left the pretty flower down in the cave. She had potentially lost her job over a flower and yet, she still thought of it. Before she had arrived in Greece she hadn’t even had a remote interest in daffodils and now, well now she was attracted to them like a damn moth to a flame. She only hoped it wouldn’t lead her to get burned. The route her mind took after those thoughts were mundane and she had completely dozed off before long, her head dipping forward as sleep came over her. 

The sharp sound of knuckles hitting wood brought her out of her slumber, making her jolt when she realised possibly hours had passed. The water was completely cold and a murky colour, not to mention she was wrinkled like a prune. 

“Coming!” she called out, half jumping up. The water sloshed over the side as she stepped out, grabbing the rough bathrobe and pulling it over her body. Rey tried to ignore the scratching it caused as she made her way to the door, grumbling slightly at the fact she had been disturbed. So much so, she didn’t even greet the person to begin with; who turned out to be Finn. 

“Hey you, how are you feeling?” he asked her with a soft smile, worry present in his eyes as he looked at one of his two closest friends. 

“How do I feel causing a situation on site and in turn potentially losing my job? Just peachy.” She knew it was wrong to answer him with her signature approach of excessive sarcasm.  But it was a defence mechanism; she couldn’t help it. 

“What was he even so angry about? He barely even checked to see if you were okay before going off on one of his tyrades.” Finn was clearly more than a little pissed off by the fact she had been thoroughly smacked down in front of everyone, despite no one knowing what it was really about. As far as he had been concerned, the crack in the earth was simply a new place to excavate.  Finn mentioned that, when he suggested the excavation after Rey’s departure, he was threatened with similar action. 

“Does it even matter anymore?” Her voice carried a defeated tone as she looked at one of her best friends, her shoulders slumped as she once again felt like nothing she could ever do would be good enough in Luke’s eyes. 

“Yes, because I’m worried it’s still bothering you.” Finn brought out his hand to gently rub her arm, trying to coax  _ something _ out of her. Though sometimes it was like trying to make a rock bleed; nigh on impossible. 

“I thought I saw something down there… I was wrong though. It was probably because I hit my head.” The lie came off her tongue more naturally than she had first expected; usually Rey’s face betrayed her before she even had the chance to conjure anything up. Not this time.  _ This time _ she wanted to avoid Luke’s temper for the rest of the day. 

“Are you going to tell me what you saw? I know fine well you saw something.” He missed nothing.  _ Nothing. _ And it was damn well annoying; probably the reason she answered with such hostility. 

“Drop it Finn. I know you don’t want to but, for the sake of my job,  _ please drop it. _ ” She sounded out the final three words as though she was speaking to someone who wasn’t well versed in English, in order to make her point. 

“Okay, okay, Jesus, Luke really can be an asshole. Sounds like you might have found something and what? You can’t talk about it? Wasn’t discovering a temple enough?” Finn’s voice had raised a few octaves as he shook his head, clearly struggling to keep himself in check when it came to Rey; Luke just treated her like garbage sometimes. Why? Well it was something no one seemed to have an answer to. 

Rey felt herself soften at seeing his anger, taking a step back as she prepared to let him in, casting a look over her shoulder as she opened her mouth to speak once more. 

“Evidently not… but you can-  _ OH MY GOD _ .” She couldn’t help the shout of shock from what she saw with the look over her shoulder. The daffodil. The daffodil was sitting on her bedside table. Her heart rate doubled in the space of a second as she tried to process the sight. 

“ _ WHAT?!”  _ Finn had nearly leapt three feet into the air from her exclamation, his own hand moving to his heart as he tried to make sure he would live through the next few minutes without a heart attack making an appearance. 

“Nothing… nothing. Sorry, I’m jumpy. I’m going to bed; see you tomorrow,” she told him, not able to give him a real reason for her outburst. 

“Rey you can’t just-” His protests were barely even heard as she had already begun to close the door.

“ _ NIGHT!”  _ she called as she slammed the door on him and locked it for good measure. She did feel slightly guilty but she also knew Finn would probably forget about it by the time the morning rolled around. 

Now she was alone in her room, she made way over to her bedside table where the yellow flower was now resting. Her steps were hesitant, like she was scared it would jump up and try to eat her. Well, since there was no logical reason why the damned thing could be there, it wouldn’t have surprised her. She  _ knew _ she had left it where she had fallen. It should still be  _ there. _ Not  _ in her hotel room. _

When she finally sat down on the bed, she reached out to pick it up gently with her fingers. A soft gasp left her lips as she felt the same wave of calm she had felt at the airport fall over her again. Like she had before, she lifted the daffodil to inhale its scent. She couldn’t even begin to understand how it had come to be in her hotel room until a thought stilled all the rest in her mind. 

_ The hazel eyes. _

Had they something to do with the way she was feeling now? Had they something to do with the daffodil and the fact it seemed to have followed her from place to place? Like it should be with her. Rey couldn’t even begin to explain the sensation of belonging she felt when she touched the flower. A belonging she had always searched for. But at the same time, she also felt an endless longing. Belonging and longing were very different ways to feel and she felt a swirl of both of them as she gently held the stalk. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked down.  She set the flower back on the bedside table, a finger coming up to wipe any tears threatening to overflow, as she got up to fill one of the hotel room glasses with water for it. She didn’t want it to die before the next day rolled around. Though, since it survived in a desertlike environment and underground, she was sure it would survive here without water. 

Once Rey was satisfied with the daffodil’s new home, gently resting within the glass, she pulled back the sheets of her bed and climbed into it. Her eyes remained on the daffodil as she lay there. She had no idea what was happening and she had no one she could talk to about it. But she knew this flower had  _ something  _ to do with the gates she had found in the chasm. It couldn’t be a coincidence it led her to those doors. It had to mean  _ something.  _  She just didn’t know what yet.

Only a few moments later, Rey felt a wave of exhaustion crash over her. She reached out to turn off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. As sleep began to take hold, she felt the same sensation she had been feeling over the last few weeks. The pulse, calling out to her as she drifted out of consciousness…

_ Rey… Rey… Rey… _

\-------------------------------------------

She slept like the dead. No dreams or, more importantly, no nightmares. As she came back to the land of the living, she became aware the old alarm clock present. It screeched a protest at being forgotten about. A groan came from her lips as she smacked her hand down on top of the clock, silencing it for the morning. 7 am. She had slept close to ten hours; probably getting over the shock of the whole daffodil incident. When Rey’s thoughts moved in this direction, she immediately switched on her bedside lamp in order to view the flower. Still there. For some strange reason, she felt a wash of relief; knowing she hadn’t dreamt the whole thing up, knowing the simple idea of it never having existed would have made her feel empty. 

“All this trouble for a damn flower,” she muttered to herself as she shook her head, her eyes now trained on the ground. A moment of reflection passed before she looked back up. 

“But you’re not just an ordinary flower, are you?” The way she asked the question made it seem like she wanted an answer from the daffodil, as though it would just start up a conversation with her. She had no idea where the thought had sprung from but she started to laugh; not because she found it funny really, but more because these strange thoughts were unsettling. 

Rey let out a big breath, pushed herself off the bed, and made her way to the bathroom to take care of her morning routine. She was a simple girl; brushing her teeth, washing her face and applying sunscreen was all she did on a normal day-to-day basis. Anything else would be ruined in the harsh heat she usually worked in. With temperature soaring well past thirty degrees, Rey dressed in accordance; khaki canvas shorts which sat almost at the top of her thighs, a white tank top and lace-up combat boots. She knew some people chose sandals but she hated her feet uncovered while she worked. Nothing to do with the fact she once wore sandals, forgot to apply sunscreen to her feet and ended up severely burned…  _ nothing whatsoever.  _

She tucked her key into her pocket as she exited her room and made her way downstairs to, as they say, face the music. She was never one to shy away from a challenge and this breakfast was going to be one in itself.  _ Even  _ before Luke appeared to deliver the verdict regarding her. The only thing Rey cared about was getting to work, even if it meant she had to forget about those lost gates. If it did, then so be it. Or she would at least forget about them for the time being.

When she appeared in the dining room, Finn jumped up so fast he nearly knocked over one of his plates. Mercifully, there were several tables for everyone instead of one huge one; she didn’t know if she could bear all the questions. At least at the table Finn had picked, they were off to the side and her back would be to most of the room. She was sure he had chosen it for this very reason; he was always so thoughtful. 

“Rey, are you okay now? You looked like you had seen a ghost last night.” Finn walked to meet her, planting his signature sloppy kiss on her cheek. 

“Yes sorry, it was just.... a really long day,” Rey told him as she gave him a half truth. She pushed away the guilt she felt; she knew full well she could never really explain all of this to  _ anyone. _ It was too difficult to explain even to herself. So silence it was. 

“Okay… well as long as you’re sure.” He was hesitant to drop the subject; she could tell just from his demeanor, but her quick nod seemed to convince him well enough. “Well, are you ready to get to work?” 

This question was on much safer ground; Finn knew how much she loved her work and her love of it kept her from packing it in long ago. Luke alone should have been enough to make her throw in the towel. 

“You bet! Just being in my hotel room for an afternoon nearly made me develop cabin fever,” she chuckled as she sat down and helped herself to a couple of boiled eggs in a bowl on the table. For the time being, she decided not to even mention the potential obstacle: Luke. 

“That’s the spirit! Ah, here comes the final Musketeer.” Finn waved his hand, attracting Poe’s attention, which made Rey turn her head in the direction. Sure enough Poe was heading over to their table.  His steps appeared to be hesitant, as though he worried about her reaction. 

“Hey sleepy head,” Rey teased him, keen not to let the events of yesterday be a weight on either of them. 

“Hey Daredevil,” he responded to her in kind, placing a hand on her shoulder. Before he took it away, she raised her hand and gave his a squeeze, releasing it after a moment. His grip only lingered for a split second before it too was removed. 

“Says the man who thought it was a good idea to rock climb up a canyon,” Finn retorted as he rolled his eyes into the back of his head. There was no real malice there since it was against his nature in general. 

“No one died. I still maintain it was a good idea,” came the reply. It made Rey purse her lips together to prevent any laughter from escaping as she continued to let her eyes flicker between the pair.

“I severely sprained my ankle, Poe,” Finn panned, his head now turned in Poe’s direction.

“Yes…  _ before _ you even got to the foot of the damn canyon!”

Rey couldn’t hold it in any longer; a burst of mirth came from her mouth and her hand immediately came up to stifle it before the whole room heard.  

“Not funny, Rey!” Finn protested, feigning anger as he turned to look at her.

“I’m sorry I-” She barely could get a word out as her shoulders shook from the fit of giggles she now had. 

“Ah it’s okay, she knows who has got the advantage here.” Poe smirked.  He clearly felt as though he had the upper-hand in this instance and she was too far gone to deny or confirm  _ anything. _

“No I-” 

She started to level out the playing field of the argument when a presence made the entire room fall into silence. There was only one person here who was capable of creating this sort of response. 

“We leave in two minutes. Finish up here and meet me out front.” There was no request in Luke’s voice; it was essentially an order. Everyone around began to scarf down what remained on their plates. The trio in the back corner were no exception. 

Most of the others had filtered out before the three of them moved to the exit. As she moved with the others, she hoped Luke had realised he had been too harsh on her before and would just carry on as though it hadn’t even happened. That hope stayed until she felt a hand grip her upper arm. 

“Where are you going?” As soon as Rey turned, she met Luke’s expectant gaze, as though she had just tried to shoplift. 

“Well… I was  _ hoping _ to be able to come back to the site today.” The optimism in her voice was going to be short-lived, she felt it already. 

“Not today you’re not.” Despite the fact she saw it coming, the offhandedness of his response was enough to make her eyes widen.

“You’re not serious.” The disbelief on her face translated seamlessly into her tone of voice.

“Perfectly.” 

“Luke, with all due respect, I know I messed up yesterday but I want to do my job.” Rey was at her wit’s end. She had thought this would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead, she might as well have been on house arrest. It was enough to make her quiver with both anger and frustration. 

“You proved you couldn’t do a  _ thing _ without almost shutting down the site. I don’t want any more incidents like what happened yesterday so you’re staying here until I say so.” There was going to be no arguing with him and protesting about his fairness wouldn’t help either.  So, she settled for a glare. 

“It’s bad enough you’re doing this to me but not giving me a real reason for it only makes me want to get answers all the more,” she snarled; the byproduct of a temper she hadn’t been entirely sure existed before then. Rey turned on her heel, ignoring the calls from her two friends, and launched herself up the stairs, taking two at a time. 

Rey kicked her room’s door closed and locked it in her next movement. As though she was a sixteen year old who had been told she couldn’t see her boyfriend. She threw herself onto the bed and screamed into her pillow. After the initial bout of anger was expelled, she rolled onto her front and stared at the ceiling in complete silence. 

“I may as well go back,” she grumbled to herself before catching her own word choice. She hadn’t used the word  _ home _ . Something in her subconscious stirred as she lay there. Rey had never felt a sense of belonging anywhere. Maybe at the very beginning of her life, when her mother was still alive. But beyond, there was always an unrest in her. When she moved abroad for university and she met her two best friends; they were the closest she had to a home. But, when she arrived here… as soon as she stepped out into the warm Grecian air, she felt as if some planets in a distant solar system had aligned. Between the daffodil, those doors and the fact she had felt calmer down in the cave than she ever should have been; they all made her realise she was  _ supposed  _ to be here. She was  _ supposed  _ to find something. Maybe it was more than just what was down the crevice. Maybe,  _ just maybe _ , she would find something else… and her home along with it. 

Her eyes flickered to the daffodil, which was as alive as ever. Just taking in the pretty colour made up her mind right there and then. She was going to go back to the hole in the earth. Tonight. She was going to see what was behind those doors. Come hell or high water  _ she would find out.  _

\------------------------------------------

Rey wasn’t sure if boredom really could kill a person but if it hadn’t, she was certain she would be the first. She had paced back and forth for what seemed like hours. Then she spent an  _ ungodly  _ amount of time trying to get Netflix to work on what was possibly the worst wifi she had come across. She counted down the hours until she was able to go back to the site. 

It felt like the closer the time came for her sneakout, the more restless she grew. She felt like an addict and the hole in the ground was her drug, calling out to her. While there was a longing, there was also confusion; she had never felt such a pull to any place before. She had a wild, restless heart; Leia had been the first one to mention it.

“ _ I get the feeling you’ll never belong anywhere.  You seek adventure wherever you go,” _ she had once told her. The older she got, the more she had started to believe it.  _ Until yesterday. _ She hoped if she went to those doors, then she’d get some sort of closure and be able to move on with her job. In a way, if she didn’t find anything down there, it would be a blessing.  _ Maybe, _ it was all just a concussion-induced vision from the fall. The potential injury she might have sustained did nothing to explain the reactions of Luke and Leia after the fact. 

Before she forgot, she pulled out her phone and texted her group chat with Finn and Poe. 

**Rey: Having an early night. Don’t wake me up. I WILL kill you. :)**

**Finn: Sure thing chick. See you in the morning?**

**Rey: I’m sure you will. I’ll wave you off.**

**Poe: I’ve got my money on you winning the next round when you go up against Luke.**

**Finn: Doesn’t count if you knock him out, Poe…**

**Poe: I beg to differ. :)**

**Rey: Okay night guys!**

**Finn: Night Chick.**

**Poe: Night, love ya.**

**Rey: I know.**

She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her lips as she locked her phone. She didn’t know what she would do without them; they were The Three Musketeers and, if she didn’t belong to any one person, she belonged to them. Or at least the romantic in her believed this from time to time. 

Not an hour later, she heard doors slamming closed, signalling everyone’s return from the site. This was her chance to make a quick exit. She slung her backpack on her shoulder and walked over to her door, pressing her ear to it as she listened for movement. Nothing. She exited the room, locking it behind her, and made her escape down the backstairs in case people were loitering in the dining room. 

Once she was on the street, Rey’s shoulders visibly relaxed; she knew there was less and less of a chance of her getting caught the further she moved out of the city. She was looking forward to her walk back to the site. She loved being out during the dusk and twilight time of day, so this was ideal for her. 

When the surface underfoot changed from pavement to cobbles to dirt, she knew she was close. The light was fading faster than usual due to the looming mountain nestled into the landscape, so Rey quickly made her way along the fence. She was looking for an opening to avoid breaking and entering into the main site. 

Sure enough, a gap in the metal grate fence  _ just _ wide enough for her to squeeze under made its presence known. Rey grinned as she got down onto her hands and knees and slid under with a slight groan. Once she was back on her feet, she made her way across the meadow to the hole in the ground. 

Rey came to a halt in front of the area in question. It was now cordoned off, but the rope that had came to her rescue was still there. Probably a little  _ too  _ conveniently. Her eyes moved over her surroundings as she searched for a place to rig the rope up to and settled for a metal post holding up the tape. She knew it wouldn’t hold her weight for long but all she needed was enough time to get to a point where she could jump down. 

She made short work of the descent, leaping from the rope when she heard the familiar creak of straining metal. The place was exactly how she remembered it; now she  _ knew  _ the first time hadn’t been some sort of vision.  It had been real. 

Rey wasted no time, already making her way to where the passage sloped down. Just like before, the torches lit up for her before she could even think of looking for her flashlight. They lit her way down to her destination, welcoming her once again. 

The doors with the inscription were just as she had left them.  Only, this time, there was no black smoke creeping around her. She didn’t hesitate as she walked up to them, her neck craning as she took in their immense size. 

“Here goes nothing,” she murmured to herself as she placed her hand on one of the doors, feeling the cool stone beneath her palms. 

She pushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter three for you all, I hope you enjoy! The story will begin to pick up pace from here on out.  
> Your reviews and kudos are what really keeps me writing so thank you all!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be_  
> 

The doors creaked and groaned under Rey’s hand as she pushed, the stone moving easier than she imagined it would, especially considering the doors’ sheer scale. Acting on a hunch, she ceased her pushing and watched as the door continued their motion on nothing but momentum alone. 

“Interesting,” she murmured to herself as she crossed the threshold and carefully descended the tunnel into the bowels of the earth. The ground beneath her was brittle and became more and more like gravel as she walked, a sure sign any form of water hadn’t reached this part in a long time. Rey knew  she should be apprehensive about what she was going to find when she reached wherever this pathway led. But instead, she felt excitement and determination to see something possibly no one had discovered before. 

She walked walked for a few more minutes before she noticed the familiar widening of the tunnel she had experienced when she approached the doors. Now, ahead of her, she could see the light at the end of the tunnel and she increased her pace. 

It took Rey’s eyes a moment to adjust to the change in the light, but once they did, they became saucers as she took in what was in front of her. It was nothing she had ever imagined. The tunnel had opened up to a huge space; a jetty was at the bottom of the stairs in front of her, positioned out over what she assumed, by the huge trench in the ground, was a dry river bed. Beyond, a meadow with withered grass, like it had suffered in a drought. Something she would have surmised, it would never have known considering there would be no real weather down there. When she turned her attention even further into the distance, her heart leapt into her throat. A palace sat slightly elevated above everything else. It was colossal. Bigger than anything she had ever seen in the world above, bigger than any of even the grandest of ruins. Whoever it belonged to, or dedicated to, was important. At the back of her mind, Rey was aware of where she could well be. 

_ Where life ends and death begins… _

The Underworld. 

“Hades,” Rey whispered to herself, taking a moment to let the same settle on her tongue. 

Before she could stop it, laughter escaped from her lips.  _ Ridiculous. _ There was no real way this could really be the underworld. Her mind rationalised it was simply a decoy of sorts. Fool’s Gold. Either way, this was certainly going thrust her name into the limelight and she’d finally be able to strike out on her own. 

Those thoughts propelled Rey forward and she moved down the stairs on the jetty, walking straight to the edge. She took just a moment to drop herself down onto the damp terrain of the river bed.  _ There must be water coming from somewhere,  _ she thought to herself as she carefully maneuvered over the rocks towards the other side. 

Rey hauled herself up onto the other side with a small grunt, thankful she had a job that often required upper body strength, and swung her legs over the lip. It took her a few moments to brush off the excessive dirt she had picked up on her struggle up, giving herself a moment before she really took in her surroundings once more. Any desire to document anything wasn’t even close to entering her thought process, she simply had the need to absorb the vast landscape she was surrounded by. 

As she had anticipated, the grass was dry and fragile, breaking under her feet as she took a few tentative steps forward. There was a part of her that knew she should be frightened of where she was but she wasn’t; a calm had settled over her as she slowly walked across the meadow. In a way, it was a comfort to be here… she felt a sense of belonging. 

Nearly all of Rey’s thought processes disappeared to the back of her mind, allowing her to focus on the now. Her gaze moved over the meadow before focusing on a single tree that stood further off into the distance. It reminded her of the similarly dead meadow and tree in world above, a carbon copy in many ways, except this one was underground and away from the sun’s harsh rays. Logicially, there should really have been no signs of life down, she shouldn’t be able to see anything and yet, despite the slight dimness, she could see perfectly well. 

She walked, allowing time to pass as she walked. She had no real mission now she was here, letting her mind wander into the abyss and she absentmindedly moved her feet. The weight she had felt before she came down to this place had lifted; for how long, she wasn’t so sure but she was going to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Eventually, Rey began to pay more attention to where feet were talking her while she had been dancing with her thoughts. The tree that had once been far in the distance was now much closer and the gates she had came through, further away than she had expected. A sigh moved from her lips as she sank to the grass, sprawling out in a star shape. Her brows knitted together as she stared at the ceiling above her; the pitch blackness she expected to see had been replaced by beautiful twinkling. If Rey hadn’t known she was underground, she would have thought they were stars. They couldn’t be and she had no explanation for what they could be instead. But they were pretty and she was happy not to have an answer, contented to lie there and enjoy how they sparkled. 

She didn’t even notice as her eyes began to fall closed. She felt completely safe and away from all the dramas of what was going on above ground. Before she knew it, she had drifted off into a deep slumber, exhausted from the previous days. 

**************************************

A deep bark woke Rey up from her unintentional slumber. Her whole body jolted as she shot upright and she looked around to find the source of the noise. There was a moment that she actually thought she had dreamt up the bark. She was ready to lie back down until a blur in the distance,  _ way _ in the distance by some big rocks, ran towards her. No, not ran…  _ barrelled  _ towards her. 

It took a moment for her eyes to send the message to her brain with regards to what she was seeing. At first glance, she thought it was simply a dog but, as she narrowed her eyes to focus on the blur, too much was going on at the front of it. As the blur became less and less confusing, she realised it wasn’t just any dog… this dog  _ had three heads.  _

“Holy fuck!” she exclaimed as she leapt to her feet, unsure if she was currently looking at a friend or foe. Either way, she had to wonder if the grass had some sort of hallucinogenic properties, and she wasn’t going hang around to find out. She scrambled into a sprint and took off in the direction of where she had come. It didn’t seem to matter how much she pushed herself, the rumbling of four large paws got louder. The barks morphed into yelps that reminded her of a happy puppy, more than a vicious guard dog. The thing confusing her was the only dog she could think of  _ with three heads _ was in fact a guard dog. 

Not a moment later, she felt a massive weight pummel into her back, sending her flying forward and she smacked into the grass. Rey groaned for a moment, her eyes closed as she prepared to be attacked by this creature. Instead, she felt a massive tongue slobber all over her face and the crying of a dog excited to see someone.  _ Excited to see someone it knew. _ She cracked one eye open to find the three-headed dog right by her as it bounded around her sprawled out body. For the second time in the space of a few minutes, she sat up. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to work out this dog was no threat to her. The whine that came from him alerted her to the dog wanted something from her. A greeting most likely. 

“Hey there big fella,” she tested out the words, noting how he came closer, eyeing her expectantly with all six of them. Carefully, Rey outstretched her hand, deciding on the middle head, and gently stoked over it. A whimper of enjoyment came from him so used her other hand to stroke behind the ear of another head. 

“I’m going to need another arm to get the other one,” she murmured. Immediately, the dog rolled onto his back, clearly in want of a belly rub which actually made Rey begin to chuckle as she began to relax once more. 

Nothing about the whole situation should have meant she relaxed and yet, there she was, relenting as she gave the dog what he desired. As she continued, she thought back to her Greek Mythology class and about the legends. A certain dog popped up more than once in those stories. Cerberus, guard dog of the underworld. He prevented the dead from escaping. And here he was; a big sap asking her for attention. She let out a breath as she realised what all of this meant; this really was the Underworld. Because as much as she would have liked to believe some civilisation had created a decoy like this, there was no way they could have created an immortal three-headed dog. 

Rey suddenly realised  she could never tell anyone about what she found here. Even if it was for the sake of a dog, who would be experimented on and god knows what else. But the very fact the dog seemed to know who she was, told her she was trusted here. Coming to terms with that made the girl blow out a huge breath and she pushed herself to her feet. Whatever was going on, she knew she had to get out of there, get back to the world of the living  _ where she belonged.  _ Obviously she had been mistaken for some other being and she had to leave to restore order. 

“I’m sorry Cerberus,” the name sounded foreign on her tongue but she continued, “I don’t belong here but I’m sure whoever you’re waiting on will come along soon”. She wondered if perhaps whoever his owner was, it was too much to say  _ his  _ name incase she spontaneously combusted, was perhaps off somewhere else. Regardless of where he was, Rey knew she had to leave so she started off in the direction of the river once more. Her pace resembled someone moving with purpose, and of someone who had no real clue what time it was in the world above since her tools had been forgotten as the opening the in the ground. However, it wasn’t long before she became aware of another set of footprints behind her. One look cast over her shoulder told Rey that Cerberus was following  _ dutifully _ behind her as she made her journey back. This was going to be a problem… she hated the looks on animals’ faces when they realised they weren’t going wherever their person was. Soon, she was going to have to come face to face with three dog’s heads. Great. 

She did her best not to glance back to often, not wanting to give him any hope but nothing seemed to deter him; he still trailed her every move right up until she reached the river. The brunette blew out a breath of air, half out of frustration, and surveyed the river bed. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the middle, noticing how there was now the equivalent of a small stream trickled between the rocks, steadily rising. Rey narrowed her eyes as she watched it; she knew she would never get across if she waited much longer. With that in mind, she turned to Cerberus. 

“This is where we part ways I’m afraid,” she told him gently, a smile crept onto her face as she realised she was waiting on him to answer her. With a last scratch behind the ears of one of his big heads, she bent her knees and dropped down off the grass and onto the uneven terrain. 

“Shit” she cursed as she realised the water was rising faster than she had first anticipated. There was no way she was going to be able to make it without a run up. God help her if her university track and field failed her now. Rey closed her eyes and made to get into the right headspace, as though she was preparing to do an actual long jump. Her eyes flashed open and she took off forward, sprinting along the rocky surface. It wasn’t ideal for the speed she would need to ensure she wouldn’t get wet. Not a moment later, she was in the air, her eyes creased together in concentration. Her landing was nothing short of crap, she wobbled and what she had expected to be a dry landing, ended up semi wet as staggered back. One of her feet was engulfed by the water, causing Rey to hiss at the temperature as she wrenched it out. She gave it a shake, not unlike a cat who had gotten wetter than it would have likeed, and vaulted up onto the jetty. 

She was ready to simply turn and walk out, until she heard a whimper from behind her. A grimace moved over her face as slowly pivoted on her heels to find her new friend staring at her as he let out little cries. 

Just as she was about to speak to comfort to comfort him, her attention was caught by movement. It took her a moment to find the source but soon she found herself staring at a figure who stood on the steps of the palatial structure. She knew it was impossible but she felt as though whoever it was looked right into her soul. Her heart rate picked up as she kept her eyes on them for another moment before turning and jogging along the path, up the steps and through the door, all the while she could feel the blood rushing in her ears. Whoever the person was, he seemed to be calm enough to let her leave despite not belonging there. 

The sun was still a few hours away when Rey climbed out of the crack in the ground and grabbed her supplies she had left on the surface; she really didn’t want anyone to catch on to her little expedition. Once she was sure she hadn’t left anything behind, she turned and made her way back in the direction she had came in. 

She made good time getting back to the hotel, wanting to ensure she was back in her room long before even the earliest risers appeared. And, as she ascended the stairs, she seemed to be successful in her mission. She dumped her bags on the floor and stripped herself down to her underwear before collapsing on her bed. 

There was a part of Rey that wanted to head downstairs to find out if she was actually going to be allowed to work today, but the part that prevailed decided to wait in her room to see if anyone would come knocking on her door.

Time passed. 

No one did. 

Rey sighed, feeling tears as they sprung to her eyes, feeling as though her dream job was slipping out of her grasp since Luke still hasn’t relented in his decision to keep her from the site. It wasn’t like it had stopped her from discovering what he seemed to fear she would. That little titbit had to be kept to herself though. But what was playing on her mind was if Luke was ever going to let her do her job again. She already knew  she would be back doing her  _ bagger and tagger _ role she had been subjected to before and she didn’t know if she could go back to it again. 

No, she  _ wouldn’t _ go back to that again. If he wasn’t going to let her work then she was simply going to leave. Screw the opportunity of a lifetime; she knew there would be plenty more of those out there if she was willing to look. A sense of dread cast over as she thought of what she had found, not wanting to leave without another look or at least having someone acknowledge what it was. It was doubtful she would even get  _ that.  _

With her mind made up, Rey was ready to leap out of bed and begin to pack her things. But suddenly her body reminded her she hadn’t actually slept all night and it would actually be beneficial if she got a few hours of uninterrupted sleep for once. She began to position the sheet over her body. 

********************************

_ Knock knock knock. _

The hollow knock on wood startled Rey awake. She rubbed her eyes, trying to expel the remaining signs of sleep from them. There was a brief moment when she seriously considered just not answering the door, but the sound came again. The time of 1pm told her she everyone would still be at the site so her curiosity peaked and she made her way over to door. After quickly soothing over her bedhead, she answered it and Maz was who met her line of sight. 

“Good afternoon Little One,” the greeting came from Maz’s warm voice.

“Maz, what are you doing here?” Rey asked, her eyebrows raised up towards her hairline.

“Nice to see you too,” the smaller woman chuckled when she was met with her reaction. 

“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you. How can I help?” Rey hadn’t met to come across as short but she was a little confused to say the least. She couldn’t think of what the site’s liaison could want from her, especially when she wasn’t even allowed to work on the site. 

“It’s more about how  _ I  _ can help you.” A coy smile crossed Maz’s face, which further put Rey’s mind into chaos. How on earth could she help her? Because Lord knows if she tried to talk to Luke, it would only make things worse. 

“Oh?” was all she settled for in the moment since she could hardly voice all of that.

“I heard you were having issues with not being able to work, I have a proposition for you.” 

“How so?” Rey asked her, wondering what was going through the woman’s mind. It seemed to be a place she would never have a hope in hell of understanding. So she’d have to roll with what she was saying. 

“Will you come to my office at the Museum? I’d like to talk with you about it there,” Despite it being a request, Rey got the sneaking suspicion there was really no room for debate. Besides, she hardly had anything pressing keeping her from finding out what the woman wanted to speak to her about. 

“Sure, not like I have anything keeping me here in this hotel room.”

“That’s the spirit! Come on then.”

“Give me ten minutes; I’ll meet you in the foyer.” 

Maz gave her a nod and walked towards the elevator. As soon as Rey closed the door, she was moving quickly around her room to find things to shove on. She was aware it might be important to dress well but since she was here to essentially dig around in the dirt, she was lacking in the department. So, she settled on some khaki combat trousers and a black t-shirt; at least it was better than the classic shorts and tank top ensemble that she usually went for. After shoving on her boots and grabbing her smaller bag, she left the room and ran down the stairs two at a time. 

************************

The ride to the museum was silent for the most part. Maz occasionally would tell her about nice places to check out while visiting but nothing beyond that. Rey knew Maz was waiting until they were at the museum to tell her about the supposed proposition she had for her. Whatever it was, it was enough for the older woman to want to come to the hotel to get her personally. 

A jolt of the car stopping brough Rey out of her daydream and she stepped out after taking a moment to breath. She followed Maz into the building, her steps deliberately slowed to let the tiny woman at least have some space, instead of her looming over her. While she hung back slightly, Rey took a moment to observe her surroundings. The Acropolis Museum was probably the most amazing museum she had stepped in. It would have been her dream to work in a place like this, if she wasn’t such a free spirit. She was always on the move; that’s why she liked the idea of being an archeologist since she would always be on the move. She had no real roots… never tied down.  _ Until _ she arrived here. Things had changed and she felt a belonging in a place she had never been before. How was that possible? 

“My office is just a floor up; we can use this elevator.” Maz’s voice yanked Rey out of her thoughts and to mask the fact she was trying to collect herself again, she nodded mutely, knowing her voice would give her away. Both seemed content to let the walk pass in silence. 

“So, I’m sure you’re wondering why on earth you’ve been dragged down here if I simply wanted to speak to you,” Maz began as she pushed open the door to her office after giving the secretary a wave. 

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure why you couldn’t just speak me at the hotel… but I presumed it was important,” Rey reasoned, mostly with herself than Maz; she got the feeling the woman had her reasons. 

“It is… but mostly because I didn’t want any unwanted ears listening in to what I have to say and getting back to Luke… you know what he can be.” She waved her hand and rolled her eyes, making Rey fight to hold back a giggle, though a snort did escape. 

“Yeah, believe me, I know how he can be. It’s one of the reasons I’m here. What’s your proposition?” Rey’s question was hastily added at the end, wanting to get to the point quickly. If anything just so she was back in enough time for Luke not to hound her about where she had been. 

“Oh yes, that’s right… There is going to be a big gala coming up. The type to show investors how their money has benefited the dig and such.This one will be for Luke and Leia’s dig here.” She trailed off then, making sure Rey was still with her. She was but her eyes were beginning to widen at the mention of  _ that  _ much social interaction  _ and  _ having to see so many people who knew her in that setting. 

“Okay… go on,” she nodded as she tried to keep her voice level and not let the panic escape in the form of her voice. 

“I would like some help here in the museum on the lead up to it and during. The investors are already beginning to arrive and it would be a huge help to have someone who is able to answer their questions. Since you were part of the dig and know more about it than me. You’re trained in the field too so they won’t complain about not having direct access to someone who worked there,” Maz was presenting her argument as though it wasn’t going to make Rey run for the hills. 

“I… uh…  _ what?! _ How on earth will I be of help to you? I was only here for a day before I essentially got fired and  _ people _ aren’t exactly my forte.” Rey’s words were filled with stammers and half choked protests as she thought of her having to deal with these investors. 

“Yes but you were there, you are passionate about your profession and even more importantly; you won’t take any of their bullshit. You’ll tell them like it is without any airs and graces… if anything, just to get them out of your face. You’ll be perfect.  _ Plus _ , you’d be able to stay in Athens longer… maybe get some of those answers you’re looking for.” The reasoning was doing little to convince Rey  _ until  _ the comment of finding answers. It seemed like she just  _ knew _ how torn she was about leaving. Because of how she felt when she arrived. She couldn’t walk away from what felt a beacon calling out to her. Maz had put her in a position where she simply couldn’t refuse. 

“Well, I guess you have a new employee… I just hope I don’t bugger anything up for you,” Rey half grimaced. 

“I have faith in you… you need to have more in yourself; you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be Little One.” For some reason Maz’s comfort really struck her and  _ somehow _ she knew she was right. She  _ needed _ to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in light of seeing TROS last night, it blew my muse out of the water to the point where I _had_ to post a new chapter. I have so much more planned out now! So I hope you enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Little One, the belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.”_

“If you could just sign here and here…” Maz’s voice instructed Rey as they sat at her desk going over the temporary contract the older woman had drawn up. Obviously she anticipated Rey would accept the position offered to her. 

The job paid her a substantial amount more than her position on Luke’s team and while she was never someone who thought money was the be-all and end-all, it would be nice to have a little extra cash. Even if it was only for another few weeks. It means she’d have a safety net for heading back to America and looking for another job. Rey has no idea what the future would hold for her when she left Greece, but she wasn’t worried. She knew it was strange but she was never going to be concerned about the future, not now. As an archeologist, she was always more concerned with the past. 

After another few moments of being lost in thought, she picked up the pen and signed the places Maz asked.

“Well, you now own my soul,” Rey chuckled as she slid the papers back over to the woman with jam jar glasses.

“Never joke about your soul Rey, there might be a time when someone will try to claim it.” Despite the smile and the crinkle in her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel Maz was perfectly serious. She was a strange woman so it was no problem for Rey to put those comments to the back of her mind… at least for the time being. 

“Noted,” she responded with a quick nod, not wanting to linger on this area of conversation for too much longer. 

Maz was opening her mouth to speak when a shrill ringing was injected into the calm atmosphere, making them both jump and turn to find the source. The intercom kept on the desk was lit up, flashing a vivid red light at them. 

“I keep forgetting to try to change that damned ring. It sounds like I’m trying to kill off the neighbouring dogs… in fact, your first job as my assistant is to remind me to do that.” Maz ground her teeth together in dramatic fashion to show just how much the noise has driven her to the edge. 

“Consider it done… but you should probably answer it.” Rey gave her a toothy grin as she gestured to the device.

“Oh right… you have a point,” she agreed before clicking the button, “Yes Alcie?” 

There was a short buzz of static before the other end of the line stuttered to life. 

“Sorry to disturb you Ms Kanata, I know you’re in a meeting. But Mr Knight is here to see you? I’m told you’re expecting him but I must have forgotten to write i-” 

The woman seemed to be growing more and more frantic; papers were rustling from the other side of the intercom, quickly followed by a yelp and a thud as what sounded like a book hit the floor. It was very clear to Rey that whoever this Mr Knight was, he was unexpected. 

“Alcie…  _ Alcie. _ Calm down. It’s not an appointment I was expecting either.” Maz was clearly doing her best to put the secretary at ease since she was bordering on hysterical. She sent an eye roll Rey’s way when some more babbling started up again. 

“He’s in the conference room. I hope that’s okay… before I could direct him anywhere, he told me he would be there and was halfway down the corridor,” the woman spoke so fast, Rey was sure she hadn’t taken a breath at any point during the sentence. 

“Alright; I’ll see him there,” Maz told her before she could say anything else. 

A second later, she pulled off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, muttering all the while. 

“That man seems to think he can swan in here like the prince of some far off kingdom and expect us just accommodate him.”

“Well, you did kind of do that from what I just heard,” Rey countered, her brows creasing together as her curiosity about the man grew. 

“Of course we did; he’s one of our biggest investors; I know that and so does he… I just like to complain and give him attitude any chance I get,” Maz seemed to be only half joking as she placed her thick frames back upon her nose and stand up. Once again, the young woman couldn’t help but make an observation; it seemed like her new boss was actually fond of the man in question. At least to some extent. Her mouth was pulled up slightly as she pushed in her chair and turned to Rey. 

“I think it’s time you meet one of the people you’ll be working closely with. Lucky for us; Mr Knight has picked today to make one of dramatic unannounced appearances.” Maz put her hand on her new employee’s arm, to guide her toward the door. 

Rey couldn’t help but wonder who this Mr Knight was. In her mind, he was a short, hunched man who topped seventy, he was probably severely balding, had a cane and most like on his fourth wife. That’s how most of them were anyway. As a result, she couldn’t say she was excited to meet this one. 

“He’s a bit of a hot-head but don’t let him walk over you.” The warning in Maz’s voice also carried a hint of jest. She obviously didn’t hate him as much as she made it appear.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Rey shot her a lopsided smile in return as the continued their journey.

“No, from what I’ve seen, it’s not in your nature. He might be completely fine… depends on his mood.” 

They came to a stop outside of the room and Rey looked down at her new boss, a smile crossed her features.

“Isn’t that always the way with men?” She countered, thinking back to her last failed relationship. In response to the comment made, Maz barked out a laugh, her eyes crinkling. 

“Touché,” she inclined her head to give Rey the victory before she pushed open the door. 

At first, the low lying sin streaking in the windows temporarily blinded Rey, obscuring her view of anyone who was there. After a few blinks, her eyes settled and her gaze could settle on the man in front of her. What she saw made jaw slack. 

The man, or  _ Mr Knight _ , stood with his back to them, clearly more interested in what was going on outside than anything in the room. She had plenty of things to say about him already, even with his back to her. He was  _ tall _ . And not the ordinary sort of tall… he was the type who seemed to be able to take over the room with it. His shoulders were so broad, she was sure he could fit two of her in the space between them. 

“Mr Knight, what a pleasant surprise,” Maz remained a few steps in front of her newly hired assistant as she walked over to the man, whose back was still to them, “You might have told us you were coming.”

“You know how I like to keep you on your toes Maz,” came the reply, his voice was incredibly deep and it sounded like it could have been a vibration rather than a clear voice. It was only a beat later when the mystery man turned to face them, making Rey come to halt once again. 

It took her a moment to process what she was seeing. He was probably one of the most striking men she had ever seen in her life; not only was he incredibly tall but his face nearly made her breath catch in her throat. His eyes were a mixture of both chocolate and caramel shades and were currently boring into her, looking straight past Maz. His nose was a strong shape and she could tell at one point in his youth, it was probably far too big for his face but now, she felt it suited the man. And his lips… well they were full and…  _ god _ they were inviting. 

“That’s all good and well  _ young man _ but I’d rather not be blindsided when I have a new employee who’s here to help me deal with  _ you.”  _ It was Maz’s voice that made Rey wrench her eyes away from him and to her. She only realised then, as she took a breath, she had held it for the entire time she had met his gaze. 

“Maz, you make me sound like a demon” he chastised with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes before turning to Rey once again as a smirk moved over those plump lips, “Don’t listen to her; she just hates being surprised.”

Rey couldn’t help but let a laugh escape her lips as the smaller woman rolled her eyes. 

“Remember who is employing you Little One,” she grumbled before continuing on, “But on with the introductions; Rey, this is Kylo Knight. He’s one of our biggest investors and one of his favourite things to do is turn up out of the blue when I’m least expecting it. Mr Knight, this is Rey Bennet. She’s an archeologist who was employed on Leia Organa’s dig. She’ll be helping me by helping you. Keep you out of my way,” her tone was teasing towards the end, making the other two chuckle a little. Rey stepped forward then, holding out her hand towards him. 

“Pleasure to meet you Mr Knight,” she nodded, her mouth pulled upwards in a slight smile. 

“There’s no need for formalities like those if we’re to be working as closely as Maz says Rey; Kylo is fine.” The tall man placed his hand in the one she had offered to her and shook it firmly.

She would have noticed the strength behind the handshake…  _ would have.  _ Had it not been for the field of daffodils flashing across her vision, closely followed by images of hands moving over bodies and a flower crown resting on a throne. A sharp intake of breath later and Rey was dropping his hand like it was infected by the plague. 

“Kylo,” she tested the name on her lips as she took a small step back. Her eyes moved up to his once more and she nearly wished she hadn’t. How was it possible to feel as though she had seen those eyes before? She had never met him in her life and yet, his face was familiar to her. It was like she was trying to recall a memory within her… like it was blurry and without focus. Her mind was swimming and she couldn’t voice any of it lest she look a complete fool. Another note she made to herself right then was; if she had met him previously, she  _ would _ have remembered a man with a face like  _ that _ . 

“So as I was saying, Kylo is an investor and has arrived to see what he’s essentially paying for. You’re going to be his first port of call. Keeps him off my bag and you get to put that Yale degree to use.” Maz was of course, only teasing but Rey couldn’t help but glance at her when she mentioned her education. Though, she shouldn’t have been surprised considering Maz seemed to make it her business to know about anyone she met. 

“Yale? I would have had you down as an Oxford grad,” Kylo stated, ignoring the rest of what Maz said as his eyes remained focused on the hazel eyed girl. 

“Oh really? It’s the accent isn’t it?” He wasn’t the first person to make that assumption and she was certain he wouldn’t be the last either. 

“Mostly the accent.” His confirmation came with a nod of his head and a glimmer of a smile over his lips. His large, supple lips. In truth Rey had to do everything in her power to ensure her eyes didn’t wander down to them. If it wasn’t for her being caught in his chestnut eyes for the majority of the time, they probably would stray. 

“I get that a lot… but I was lucky enough to be mentored by Luke Organa, which brought me here,” she was being more open about things than she usually was, but at the back of her mind she knew Maz would most likely fill him in. 

“I need to pick up a few more pieces of paperwork, I’ll leave you to get acquainted.” Maz’s voice sounded in Rey’s ears and she realised she had momentarily forgotten she was even in the room. Before she could even protest, her new boss was out of the room, leaving her and Kylo standing silently for a few seconds. She shouldn’t have worried for a second since he picked up the conversation almost immediately. 

“Luke Organa?” he enquired after nodding at Maz when she left. 

“Yes,” Rey confirmed without skipping a beat. 

“The famous Skywalker. I hear he can be difficult to work with.” Despite how nonchalant Kylo appeared to be in the shift to her mentor, she couldn’t help but wonder if he knew exactly what he was like. 

“He expects perfection with everything around him,” her confirmation did not come as a surprise, she was sure. She might not be completely acquainted with the world of investors and Galas, but from what she had heard, it was dreaded when Luke turned up to any of them.  _ Completely brilliant but useless with people, _ she remembered Leia saying one night when she visited. The older Rey got, the more she realised how right she was. 

“Including in his  protégé?” The question made her hesitate. He was so sure of the route to take the conversation; he wanted to know more. Perhaps it was simply for work but she felt like he wanted to  _ know her.  _ It didn’t take her long to push the idea out of her mind. They just met. How could he be so interested in her? 

“Well... yes he does.” Rey’s eyes moved away for a split second as she recalled all the times she had cried in a closet at the university or sobbed to Poe when he innocently asked her how her day had been. Maz had come along with her offer at the right time; she would have left her profession all together if it hadn’t been for her. She hit breaking point not three hours earlier. 

“Must be hard,” Kylo mused.

“What must be?” She asked, her gaze moving back to his. Of course, she knew exactly what he was getting at but there was part of her feeling the need to play a little dumb.

“Well nothing is perfect is it? Sounds as though he can be cruel in the pursuit of making you like him… am I right?” If there was one thing Rey was learning about this handsome man in front of her, it was he was direct. He didn’t beat about the bush when he had something to ask.

“I… I respect him. Not many get the opportunity.” Her voice was hesitant as she spoke, feeling something akin to panic rise in her throat. She felt like he knew exactly what to ask her to get the answers he needed. It felt like it was a trap. But she knew that was always the way she thought when it came to Luke. 

“That’s not what I asked.” He didn’t miss a trick. She realised how honest she was going to have to be with him since he caught every hesitation in her voice. Maybe this job was a bad idea after all. 

“Well, I know I shouldn’t complain. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, as the saying goes.” Rey tucked a piece of hair behind her hair as she walked over to the window in an attempt to break the apparent tension she felt in the room. She couldn’t understand why he was getting under her skin so much. 

“Well I’m assuming it must be bad enough to leave and work for Maz.” Kylo came to stand beside her again, his eyes also looking out across the view of the museum. 

“I… um... “ Rey’s eyes had grown wider as she thought of how to answer him. She could feel moisture threatening to overflow at the corner of her eyes as she realised just how much Luke had affected her. She knew he only wanted her to be as good as the potential she had; he wasn’t  _ malicious. _ But more often than not, it felt like he had just wanted to upset her. 

“It’s alright… you can be honest with me. I swear nothing will get out that you tell me in confidence.” Kylo’s hand found her upper arm and squeezed it gently in a comforting gesture. Her eyes darted to his hand for a moment before looking up at his face. She felt the threatening tears dissipate and she nodded slowly.

“He… it felt like I couldn’t be everything I wanted to be when I was working for him… I wanted the chance to discover things and to be allowed to pursue anything I did. He wasn’t giving me any opportunities and I felt small. This job Maz offered will at least let me stay in Athens longer and I can still be involved in what I love.” It felt like she was confessing one of her deepest darkest secrets to him, and in a way she probably had; she never had the guts to admit it out loud more than a few times. 

“Did you?” Kylo appeared to ignore most of what she said, instead, he singled in on one part and it took her by surprise. She appreciated the direct question since she  _ hated _ someone feeling pity towards her. 

“Did I what?” 

“Discover anything? I’m assuming that’s what led to you and Luke to part ways.” If Rey had any less self control than she did, her jaw would most likely have swung open and she would have stared at him as she caught flies.  _ Luckily _ , she managed to keep it together. She was suddenly struck with a thought; maybe  _ he _ could help her. 

“I-” she was immediately cut off by the sound of the door swinging open and Maz stood there in all her thick-rimmed glasses glory. 

“So how is everything going in here?” Maz asked them, looking between the two of them expectantly.

“Fine! Just fi-” Rey knew she was ready to start babbling nonsense nervously, so for once she felt relief at being cut off.

“We’re just getting to know each other since we’ll be working together.” Kylo explained to Maz, shooting a little smile in Rey’s direction while he did. 

“I’m lucky to have her. Did you have anything in particular you needed Mr Knight?” Maz’s question was clearly a signal the meeting with Kylo was coming to a close and Rey couldn’t decide if she was happy about it or not. She felt unnerved, if she was frank.

“No thank you, I just wanted to drop in after being away so long. Make sure you know I’m still alive,” Kylo answered with a chuckled, his eyes seemed to twinkle with the expression. 

“Ah, good to know you still like giving my secretary a heart attack for no reason,” Maz joked, shaking her head and Rey also sniggered when she remembered the woman’s frantic voice on the other end of the intercom.

“Well it wasn’t for  _ no reason: _ I got to meet the lovely Rey.” Well, Kylo’s answer certainly wiped the smile off her face and she made sure to keep her eyes on Maz when she felt his gaze boring into her. 

“All’s well that ends well.” Came her new boss’s reply.

“I should be heading back to my office; I need to deal with a few things. Wonderful to see you again Maz, as always.” Kylo walked over to Maz, giving a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking in Rey’s directions. Hey eyes were probably far more wide than they should have been as the gap got smaller and smaller, “I’ll be in touch Rey. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

He leant in them, kissing her cheek softly. She almost whimpered when she felt his soft lips touch the smooth skin there. Out of nowhere she saw more flashes of another life. A huge bed, naked bodies and a smile not unlike the one Kylo wore on his face previously. There was a tangle of black hair and longer lighter coloured locks, dustings of freckles and laughter.  _ Genuine laughter. _ Both Rey and Kylo took a step back at the same time, like they had given each other an electric shock. She let out a breath like she was just coming up for air after being underwater for a long period of time. 

“Alright,” she murmured, watching him as he picked up his briefcase and left the room without another word. Though she could have sworn she saw his bottom lip wobble as he left. Rey was beginning to think she was losing it. Where were all the visions coming from?! It was like she was looking at someone else’s life and yet, it felt so familiar… as though she had lived it herself. She had no idea how to explain it. 

“Shall we drive back to the hotel? I know you will probably want to get the announcement of you leaving over quickly?” Maz’s suggestion was met with a nod from Rey. She was not wrong in the slightest. The sooner she got that out the way was the sooner she could start in the position Maz gave her. 

“Yes, let’s go,” she confirmed as she was handed her bag and she made her way out of the building with Maz. She did her best to avoid the little looks she was getting from her new boss as they walked. 

Rey was off in a world of her own as the streets blurred past them. Her eyes were fixed on nothing in particular and Maz seemed to be more than content to let her sit in silence. Her mind was swimming with unanswered questions, even more now than before. Why did she feel so calm when she stepped off the plane? Why did the  _ underworld _ seem to welcome her presence? Why did  _ Kylo Knight _ feel so familiar to her?  _ Why did she have so many visions and strange flashbacks? _ She had no idea how she was going to find any answers to them. Not without seeming like she was going insane, that was for sure. 

“You really are in another realm there, aren’t you?” Maz had finally made the decision to break through her thoughts. As Rey turned her head quickly enough to give her whiplash. It was only then she realised the car had been stopped and the engine turned off.

“Sorry Maz, I just have a lot on my mind,” she admitted to her as she tucked some stray hairs from her bun back under the hair elastic. 

“I understand? Are you unsure about the job?” Maz’s question didn’t hold any accusation; it was clear in her eyes, she knew the girl was sure. If only by how wide her eyes were at the notion

“No, I’m certain about it…” Rey pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing lightly.

“But?” Maz pushed, one of her thin eyebrows arched as she looked at her over her thick glasses. 

“But… I’m scared to leave it behind me. It’s been so constant in my life, as has Luke. I just… know I never felt like I belonged anywhere. Including in that job. My parents are gone… Luke and Leia have been like family, I should feel home there.” There it was: the admission Rey had been too scared to make for the longest time. The truth was, she felt alone and as a result, never felt a sense of home anywhere.

“You want to belong?” It was obviously the line of questioning was to lead on to another point so she simply nodded, waiting for her to continue, “You’re parents are never coming back, maybe it’s time you look beyond parental figures. Beyond all of it.”

The words stung. Rey knew they shouldn’t but it wasn’t something anyone had told her before. Not even Luke, who was useless with people and words, had told her out loud. But there was no anger in her, because she knew the woman was coming from a kind place, not one of malice.

“I… you’re right. But what if I never feel at home anywhere?” her voice was soft, just higher than a whisper as Rey looked around at her companion, waiting for her answer. 

_ “Little One, the belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.”  _

Maz’s words hung in the air for a few seconds before Rey actually  _ smiled.  _ A weight had been lifted off of her because she  _ knew _ she was right. In more ways than one, she knew she had made the right choice. And for once, it was for herself. She would be able to find the answers she was looking for. After another beat, she pushed open the car door.

“Thanks… oh, and don’t forget to change the ring of the intercom,” she reminded with a chuckle, making Maz break out into one of her own. 

“If there was ever a reason I needed to know that I made the right decision in hiring you, that was it. I’ll be in touch,” came the reply. 

“Bye Maz,” Rey called as she slammed the door closed and headed into the hotel. 

**************************************

The lobby was bustling with people, their voices merged together to create a constant sound of white noise. As she processed her surroundings, Rey realised the dig team were home already back for the day. She took a quick glance at her watch and realised she had been with Maz a lot longer than she had previously thought.  _ Damn it. _ She had hoped to avoid everyone for a least a little while longer. 

Her eyes found Poe and Finn who smiled and began to head over in her direction, only for another figure to obstruct her view of her friends. 

Luke. 

“Rey, I was wondering if it would be possible to speak with you,” the tone of his voice took her aback; she had been expecting the same hostile one she had experienced in the previous days. This one was seeking her permission. 

“Uh… yes, sure,” Rey confirmed, waiting to see what is next move would be. She had to admit, she was curious about what he was going to say. Was he going to demand to know where she had been? Officially fire her? The jury was out. 

“Let’s go over here.” Luke placed his hand on her elbow to guide her to a quieter part of the lobby. She caught her friends’ wide eyes as she was led away. 

“What’s up?” She used a phrase she undoubtedly picked up from Poe, the American she spent the most time with. 

“I wanted to apologise.” Rey raised an eyebrow at Luke’s words and couldn’t help but wonder if she was walking into a trap for the second time that day.

“For?” She, of course, had an idea what he was apologising for but, she wanted to make him work for it. She wanted him to give her the reason.

“For how hard I was on you at the site. I know you didn’t mean any harm.” There it was; the apology she had wanted. It was the same one she had wanted on other sites too but she was only getting it now, for this site.  _ Better late than never _ , she thought to herself. 

“Thanks, apology accepted,” she nodded. It may have come off as cold but she was being as formal. Rey wasn’t one to hold a grudge. If she was, she would have left a long time ago. 

“And I wanted to let you know you can come back to the dig tomorrow.” A day ago, all she would have wanted was for Luke to say those words to her. But now, well she had something else to look forward to. A new beginning in a way. Or least a chance to find the answers he wouldn’t let her seek. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she sighed, guilty feeling sweeping into her stomach. A feeling she had to push out before it took hold. 

“What? Why not?” Luke was surprised but he didn’t raise his voice. His brows did furrow though. 

“Maz offered me a job and, given the trouble I’ve already caused on the site, I’ve decided to take it.” Rey explained to him openly. She didn’t want there to be any secrets about who she was going to be working for. That being said, there was something niggling at her to make sure she left out the mysterious Kylo Knight from the equation for the time being. 

A long silence hung in the air and Rey had to use every bit of willpower to make her eyes shift away from Luke as he seemed to be processing what she said.

“If that’s what you feel is best, then I’ll support your decision,” came the response, almost making her balk at him. 

“Really?” If she was honest with herself, she was expecting him to have an outburst right there and then but nothing came. Instead he simply nodded. 

“Yes, you’re more than capable of deciding what’s best for you… I do hope you’ll reconsider though. You’re an asset on site.” Luke’s hand found her shoulder a squeeze and offered her a little smile. 

“That’s actually one of the reasons Maz offered me this job. I’ll kind of still be involved, which is what I want.” His acceptance of her decision made her far open with him than she had been previously; it already felt like a relief to be able to be more candid. 

“Wouldn’t it just be easier to stay on the dig?” he questioned her, one of his eyebrows moving upwards as he assessed her. 

“I suppose in many ways it would be…” She conceded, trailing off as she thought of how to word her reason without offending him. 

“But?” he coaxed.

“But, I feel this is something I have to do Luke. This is something I can do alone, it’s not under your guidance. I can prove that I’ve not just made it to where I am because you’re my mentor and I worked in your shadow.” She had never said those words aloud before, and it felt good. It felt good to be able to be frank with him.

“I don’t think anyone thought that,” he tried to reassure Rey but she was already shaking her head.

“But I did, I still do. This… this is for me.”

“I understand. Thank you for your honesty Rey, it has always been one of your best traits.” Luke gave her a smile then, clearly he was trying to show her there were no hard feelings between the two of them. 

“You’re welcome,” she nodded and returned the same smile before glancing over her shoulder, “I should head upstairs. Talk later Luke.”

Rey turned and headed towards the stairway, finally feeling like everything would be alright. Her eyes moved round to find Finn and Poe had already moved to the bar. Somewhere she didn’t feel like venturing tonight. 

“Rey?” Luke’s voice stopped her just as she was about to jog up the stairs to her hotel room. She turned to face him. 

“Yes?”

“Anything I ever said or did… if I ever hurt you- it wasn’t intentional. I only wanted to protect you.” Rey’s eyes widened slightly at Luke’s admission to her and in return she nodded, letting him know she heard and understood. She didn’t think any response was needed. 

She turned and headed up the stairs of her room, finally feeling like the air wasn’t going to choke her with the tension. 

**************************************

Rey swung her door open just as she heard her phone ping in her bag. She waited until she had kicked off her shoes and had began to run herself a bath before she picked up her phone. It was a text from Maz. 

**Maz: I forgot to mention; you’ll be moving hotels tomorrow since you’re not working with Luke’s team now. Mr Knight has offered to pick you up and take you there. He has some more questions for you. I gave him your number so can contact you personally. Have a good night Rey.**

Rey’s heart did something akin to a somersault as she read the text once, twice and then a third time. Yup, he was definitely going to be picking her up. She didn’t know how she was going to be able to function with him when they were alone properly. She still couldn’t put her finger on why their first meeting was so charged with… god knows what. She took another deep breath tapped on her phone to reply. 

**Rey: Thank Maz, I’ll wait for his message. See you soon**

She let out a breath as her gaze wandered around the room, specifically to the daffodil that sat unwilting in the little vase she had found. She couldn’t comprehend it. Usually daffodils lasted a short time after they’re picked, and even less time in a small, slightly stuff hotel room. After a moment, Rey let out a huff of a sigh and headed into the bathroom to turn off her bath. 

She stripped off the day’s clothes and slide carefully into the almost too hot water, letting out a sigh as it warmed her bones. Despite the August weather being somewhat like a sauna, nothing could beat a bath for her. Rey let her eyes drift closed and let her mind go blank, or at least  _ try _ to let her mind go blank. Instead it wandered over the mysterious man’s features; his chocolate brown eyes, prominent nose… his full lips. 

As though it sensed her wandering brain, her phone buzzed to life on the counter and Rey jolted upright. The water sloshed over the edge and she looked around. She should have had an ice bath. After she took a second to collect herself, she reached out to grab her phone and unlocked it. A message from an unknown number. 

**Unknown Number: Pick up at 8am tomorrow. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it finally happened! They met! I hope you enjoy reading their first meeting as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, let me know what you think! :)


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